Riot adds to teen’s sentence

TEENAGERS rendered an entire unit at Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre uninhabitable, causing $90,000 damage and terrifying youth workers.

A 17-year-old, who appeared before a Children’s Court yesterday charged with riotously causing damage to a building had two months, added to his sentence.

The court was told a youth worker at the centre, on October 21 last year, heard detainees in the unit talking about “something going down” that night and “something going off”.

A police prosecutor said tensions began to rise when several boys tried to lift a bench top from its steel frame.

“Over the next hour they continually returned to the bench and tried to kick the frame,” she said. “They stole screws from the bench and handed them out to other coaccused and used them to damage windows in the unit.”

She said a youth worker attempted to remove the damaged bench leg but one of the accused tried to take it.

“Tensions in the unit escalated until all the youth workers were in fear and withdrew from the unit exiting from the A Wing court yard door,” she said.

“(An accused) tried to escape through the exit door but was stopped by youth workers who had to barricade the door.

“The remaining co-accused pushed against the door throwing food and water at the youth workers. At 7.17pm (an accused) yelled, ‘Start f---ing s--- up, bro.’ ”

The court heard over the next two hours the remaining 12 teenagers armed themselves with steel legs from the benches and used them to damage lights, cameras and windows.

The unit was rendered uninhabitable, cost $90,000 and took two weeks to repair, the prosecutor said.

A lawyer for the 17-year-old said his client was not one of the main offenders and played a very small part.

“He said it’s easier to go along with it — when you’re all locked up together it’s hard to say no,” the lawyer said.