WHEN Wagga crime victim Mary learned the Dareton teenager who broke into her home twice was free on Supreme Court bail she fell to pieces.
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“Every noise I heard outside I raced to the window to check out,” said Mary, identified only by her middle name as a safeguard.
“It was just frightening because he has been through everything in the house, he knows where everything is.”
“There is the possibility he would think ‘let’s go back and get the things we could not carry’.”
Mary feels let down by the court system, saying the Supreme Court bail was the third time the teenager had been freed since April.
The first time was after the 15-year-old and another boy broke into a neighbour’s house, about a week before ransacking Mary’s house and stealing goods worth thousands.
The second time was after the boy was arrested in Dareton in a vehicle stolen from Mary’s house.
“He got bailed in Dareton and he straight away stole the nearest car and drove back to Wagga,” Mary said.
“It’s the courts who are releasing these people back into the community, and they are continually reoffending.
“I am not against rehabilitation and working with people, but they have no respect for anyone or anything.
“I think they lack schooling, as well, because their family situation has not forced them to go to school.
“They are out of control.”
Wagga police have taken the unusual step of also publicly voicing their frustration at courts granting offender bail time and time again.
When one person complained on the Wagga police Facebook page about an offender getting Supreme Court bail, police replied: “We share your frustrations and will do everything we can within our powers to help you and keep you safe.”
“Local Members and the Courts need to be advised that the current standings with juvenile offenders is inadequate.
“Public interest and the threat to the community need more weight considering the offence types these young people are committing.”
Mary urges crime victims to write victim impact statements for the courts when offenders come up for sentencing.
“It’s getting how the victim feels before the courts,” Mary said.
“They need to have that information about the suffering of people caused by these crimes.”
Mary has no idea what has happened with the teenager that changed her life.
“I don’t know where he is now,” she said.