A 60-year-old retail worker allegedly set upon by a group of youths after coming to another man\u2019s aid is expected to die, a court has been told. <\/p>\n
The shop worker was allegedly bashed by a group of five children, aged 12 to 15, on Hampshire Rd in Sunshine about 2pm on Saturday. <\/p>\n
Police on Sunday charged the children, three boys aged 12, 13 and 15, and two girls, both aged 14, with charges including intentionally causing serious injury, affray and violent disorder. <\/p>\n
The cases against several of the children were called in a Children\u2019s Court on Sunday evening when the youngest of the bunch sought bail to return home. <\/p>\n
The 12-year-old boy\u2019s mother told the court her son was a \u201ctop student\u201d and she believed he did not know the other children well.<\/p>\n
Through tears she expressed a concern for his mental health and physical safety if taken to a youth detention facility.<\/p>\n
But a police officer called to outline the case said it was alleged the boy had engaged in \u201cabhorrently violent behaviour\u201d. <\/p>\n
The court was told the 60-year-old alleged victim had his injuries deemed unsurvivable after attending hospital, and was expected to die in the coming hours or days.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s alleged a witness attempted to stop the two girls, who were holding stolen clothing items, before members of the group encircled him and \u201cpunched him to the head multiple times\u201d. <\/p>\n
The shop worker allegedly attempted to intervene, with the officer saying; \u201call co-accused collectively turned on (the man) and attacked him\u201d. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s alleged the man fell and hit his head hard on the ground, with members of the group repeatedly striking him \u201cfor minutes\u201d before fleeing. <\/p>\n
The officer said it was believed the group committed the \u201ccallous, unprovoked and violent\u201d attack to gain notoriety in the youth community. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fair to say the community would be outraged if the accused would be granted bail,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The boy\u2019s mother said her son was \u201cvery remorseful\u201d and vowed that, if released, the family would monitor him when he\u2019s not at school. <\/p>\n
Magistrate Robyn Hamilton, however, said she would not grant the boy\u2019s bail, noting his alleged actions had \u201cresulted in the worst possible outcome\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201c(The boy) has good prospects for obtaining bail at the right time, but tonight is not that time,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Another boy, the 13-year-old, was granted bail by Ms Hamilton after police flagged \u201cnew\u201d CCTV evidence that may exonerate him.<\/p>\n
Senior Constable Jordan Gallagher-Lyon told the court the footage \u201ccould\u201d result in the charges against the boy being withdrawn.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt needs to be properly investigated,\u201d he said.
\u201cIt does not have a bearing on the other young persons charged in relation to this incident\u201d. <\/p>\n
The incident comes just days after new Victorian Premier Ben Carroll used his first press conference to outline a new policy focused on retail worker safety.<\/p>\n
Mr Carroll, who started his working life as a Kmart worker, announced the introduction of Workplace Protection Orders, which are designed to protect retail and service industry workers from customers with violent or abusive tendencies.<\/p>\n
WPOs will function similarly to AVOs, and will \u201cban or limit people\u2019s access to workplaces when they treat frontline workers unacceptably\u201d.<\/p>\n