Teen accused of Northland machete brawl posed for pictures with knives

A teen arrested over the Northland shopping centre machete brawl had previously been found with “horrifying” images of himself posing with knives, buying machetes and graphic video of the stabbing of another young male.

The 15-year-old was already on four counts of bail when he allegedly became involved in last Sunday’s violent melee, sparked by rival gang members looking at each other in the wrong way.

A Victorian Children’s Court was told the teenager had shown a “clear disregard” for public safety and was given several opportunities to curb his behaviour, but continued to offend.

He was already facing court for alleged offences including aggravated carjacking and armed robbery when he was arrested over the Northland machete fight and charged with affray and intentionally causing serious injury.

A prosecutor told the court photographs and graphic footage were found on the teen’s phone during an unrelated police investigation earlier this year.

They included video of what appeared to be a male being stabbed several times with a machete, an unidentified victim having two knives pointed at his throat, and photos of the teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, buying knives and machetes and posing with the weapons.

“Further photographs predate the current incident and give an insight into the applicant’s psychology,” the prosecutor said.

“The contents of the phone are simply horrifying.”

The prosecutor argued the teen should not be released on bail because his offending was serious.

“The most recent incident is … seriously concerning, with the applicant swinging around a machete in a crowded area,” the prosecutor said.

The court was told the two warring groups had a chance meeting outside a hats and sports merchandise store called Lids at the Preston shopping complex about 2pm on Sunday.

The prosecutor said one of the gang members looked at a rival in the “wrong way”, leading to a verbal altercation.

The two groups then walked through the centre as the 15-year-old fitted himself with a ski mask to disguise his face in preparation for the brawl.

Police allege the 15-year-old was the first to pull out a machete, hidden in his pants, as the groups pursued each other through the shops.

The teen was swinging the machete at an alleged pursuer, slashing him in the head and leaving a deep gash.

He was overpowered by security and witnesses and held at the scene until police arrived.

The court heard that some of the youths involved in the fight had so far refused to co-operate with police and declined to make statements.

One of the gangs was identified as the “8rs”, from Melbourne’s west, in a hearing for a co-accused in the Northland case earlier this week.

A lawyer representing the teenager, Andrew McGregor, argued his client should be released because of his young age and because he had no prior criminal convictions.

He also told the court the boy’s parents wanted to take him overseas for a few days for a family celebration.

The lawyer told the court that while he understood the incident had sparked considerable community concern, it was not comparable to the Bondi Junction Westfield attack, where Joel Cauchi murdered six people and injured another 10 during a stabbing rampage.

“Clearly, there’s a situation since the incident in New South Wales that means that everyone’s antenna is up on high alert,” he said. “This is not comparable to the situation in New South Wales.”

He said the boy had supportive family and parents and ongoing employment, which mitigated his risk of reoffending, and had expressed remorse for his actions.

However, the prosector told the court the “sheer terror” innocent bystanders experienced during the brawl could not be understated, and the risk of reoffending posed by the teenager was far too high.

“Throughout the incident, civilians were forced to jump out of the way, shelter and protect their loved ones, including small children, and some were even caught up in the scuffle,” a police summary read to the court said.

“Police have also received information of children who witnessed the incident who are now too afraid to go to school. People who witnessed this incident will no doubt be psychologically affected for their lives.”

The magistrate said while he accepted there were some exceptional circumstances, the risk of the boy reoffending was unacceptable and he refused the bail application.

“The offences before this court are very serious,” he said. “It was incredibly violent. It was in a public place ... that had a lot of members of the community there.”

The boy was remanded to reappear in court in June.

At Northland on Friday, cars circled the packed parking lot as shoppers vied for a space on what many retailers described as the busiest day since the incident unfolded.

Oscar Wylee optometrist Aaron Chin said Monday felt surreal as staff returned to wrap up duties left undone during the previous day’s chaos.

“It was very eerie in the centre. The whole Monday was just quiet here. A lot of stores were closed, which just added to the whole weirdness of the situation,” he said.

Shop worker Selin Ozcelik said foot traffic slowed in the days after the incident, but Friday marked a turning point, with crowds returning, comforted by a strong uniformed police presence.

“The next few days after, it was a bit quiet, but I think the shops are slowly coming back to normal. It’s busier than I thought it’d be.

“The girls that did work our shift [that day] … they’re not from our store – they said they wouldn’t come back.”

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