A daylight home invasion that left a mother injured and her 2-month-old infant with a fractured skull and brain bleed, has highlighted the ongoing grip of crime on the Northern Territory.
The incident happened in the Alice Springs suburb of Larapinta on Dec. 12, when police allege two teenage boys entered the home at around 2.30 p.m.
The mother was at home with her children while her husband was at work.
Michael Murphy, the police commissioner of Northern Territory, said the mother was holding her youngest child when the teenagers broke in.
“One of them has approached her and threatened her with a weapon,” Commissioner Murphy said.
“He has struck out at her, hitting her and the child.”
The baby sustained a fractured skull and a brain bleed and was airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where the infant is now in a stable condition. Police said the attackers used a metal freezer handle in the assault.
According to police, the teens continued to conduct the robbery after injuring the mother and child, taking a purse and keys before fleeing.
“Police were notified and attended en masse,” Commissioner Murphy said.
Just under two hours since the incident, both males were arrested.
“This is an absolutely shocking incident,” Commissioner Murphy said. “I’m shocked, the community is in shocked, the first responders are shocked. This has got to stop.”
The officer said his thoughts were with the family and he could “not even think about what they are going through.”
Teens’s History Revealed
The Australian reported that the 17-year-old attacker was on bail for a number of offences, while his 16-year-old accomplice was charged with assault just days before.The 17-year-old had previously been charged with 19 offences and had been bailed 10 times, while the younger boy had 274 charges to his name and had been bailed 25 times.
Ongoing Youth Crime
The incident on the mother and infant follows another incident on Dec. 10, where five males entered a Katherine business, stealing items and damaging property.The suspects, aged 10 to 23, were later charged. The youths will be dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act 2005.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and Police Commissioner Michael Murphy, who flew to Alice Springs following the Dec. 12 attack, acknowledged the severity of the region’s crime wave.
“Since Dec.3, there’s been a number of serious crimes in Alice Springs, ranging from abduction sexual assaults, home burglaries, home invasions, and stealing motor vehicles,” Murphy told media.
He vowed to dedicate more resources to the outback, with back-ups from Darwin.
“I'd like to acknowledge also that there are a lot of very angry people in this town who feel frustrated, scared, hurt by what has taken place over recent weeks, and they deserve to be angry,” she said.
“When people say they feel let down by the system, the reality is, people in Alice Springs have been let down.”
