Two children were allegedly assaulted at Westfield Belconnen on Friday (14 August), which has seen charges laid against an 18-year-old man. Photo: Westfield Belconnen Facebook, Michelle Kroll, Albert McKnight.
The distressing alleged assault of two boys inside a Canberra mall has revealed an intersection between the failings of police and the mental health support system, as well as the need to protect the community from a “vulnerable” man who is accused of being fixated on children.
The two boys, aged two and four, were with their mother at Westfield Belconnen on Friday (14 August) when a stranger allegedly attacked them.
The two-year-old was apparently left with a broken nose.
Bystanders and security apparently restrained the 18-year-old man alleged to have attacked them. But he was released because, despite receiving Triple Zero calls about the incident, ACT Policing did not send officers to the scene, nor did they speak to the children’s family for some time.
This delayed response ultimately resulted in a public apology.
“We did receive calls about the incident at the time, but police didn’t attend,” ACT Policing’s Deputy Chief Police Officer Richard Chin told the ABC on Monday (17 August).
“Our response to the family at that time and after the incident wasn’t in line with our own expectations as ACT Policing, and certainly wasn’t in line with what the community would expect from us.
“We met with and apologised unreservedly to the family involved … We absolutely should have done better.”
Deputy Chief Police Officer Chin said a review was underway to understand what occurred, but he admitted police “simply didn’t prioritise this matter appropriately”.
The 18-year-old man, whose name has been legally suppressed, was arrested over the weekend and faced the ACT Magistrates Court later on Monday charged with two counts of assault.
“Hey Mum, I want to come home on bail. I’m really upset,” he told his mother, who was soon seen crying in the courtroom gallery.
The court heard the man has previously been accused of attacking three children in 2025. He is alleged to have assaulted a three-year-old in May, another three-year-old in June, then a six-year-old in August.
Chief Magistrate Louise Taylor said the allegations demonstrated a “pattern of conduct”.
“It’s impulsive, it’s dangerous, it’s frightening, and ultimately, it’s resulting in significant injuries to members of the community made particularly vulnerable by their age and circumstances,” she said.
Prosecutor Marcus Dyason opposed the man’s bail application, saying he was alleged to have engaged in conduct that could result in a vigilante-style response.
Chief Magistrate Taylor agreed, saying members of the community may not know the man’s vulnerabilities, but it would be very difficult for them when confronted with the sight of children being assaulted.
“It’s a very dangerous and volatile situation that’s being created,” she said.
“For whatever reason, there is a fixation on little people, which only elevates the risk that he poses.”
Chief Magistrate Taylor accepted he had several very significant challenges, but she questioned how he was able to go to the mall by himself on Friday when he was supposed to be living in 24-hour supported accommodation.
The chief magistrate said if he was allowed to go into the community on his own without support, that would be “frankly preposterous” in light of his recent history.
His lawyer, Legal Aid’s Gillian Bilton, said he was a “very, very vulnerable young man”.
She said there had recently been disengagement from his support officer, he had lost the support of his occupational therapist, and there had been a reduction in his ability to access a behavioural therapist. He hadn’t seen someone in the latter profession for about two months.
Ms Bilton said there had been “a gap” in his care and, in particular, an “administrative oversight” by the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
When court was adjourned for a short time so Ms Bilton could make further inquiries, the man tried to run away from the custodial officers guarding him. The officers grabbed him while he was still inside the courtroom, and he screamed, “I want to go home”.
Chief Magistrate Taylor ultimately said the risk that the man would endanger members of the community was too high and remanded him in custody. However, she granted leave for the lawyers to relist the matter at short notice to revisit the question of bail.
She marked the man as a prisoner at risk, adjourned to September and made a non-publication order on his name, which prevents it from being reported.