Ellenbrook Secondary College: 14-year-old boy granted bail on strict 24hr curfew after alleged baton attack

A 14-year-old boy accused of hitting an Ellenbrook Secondary College student over the head with an extendable baton — moments after the victim was stabbed by another teen — has been granted bail by a magistrate. The teen, who can’t be identified, was granted bail on a 24-hour curfew and ordered to remain at his parent’s Riverton address during his first court appearance over the attack, which forced the school into lockdown this week. The court was told the boy was one of a group of at least 10 who took a train from Perth’s southern suburbs to Ellenbrook. They then approached two teens outside the Ellenbrook school about 3pm on Monday. After the victim was approached by the group it’s alleged he was stabbed in the bicep. He was then attacked with an extendable baton by the teen, who appeared in court on Thursday, an alleged act that caused the victim dizziness and a laceration to his head. Several other teens were allegedly armed with weapons, including knives, a machete and axe. The 14-year-old was the tenth teen to be charged over the incident. He was arrested on Wednesday. The prosecutor opposed bail, saying the teen had previously been dealt with by the courts over an aggravated burglary at Westfield Carousel, which was also committed by a group. But Magistrate Alana Padmanabham said the boy had a “qualified privilege” to bail under circumstances where conditions could be implemented to protect the community. Magistrate Padmanabham noted the seriousness of the alleged offending, saying the motivations behind the Ellenbrook attack were “more concerning” than a burglary offence. “(It was allegedly) motivated by something more concerning, the desire to inflict violence,” she said. During Thursday’s court hearing, the magistrate claimed she was not told that a teen she previously bailed over the incident was the alleged stabber. At that hearing, she was told police were unable to ascertain who exactly perpetrated the violence. “I was told that the State couldn’t identity which of the offenders were carrying which items or the offenders who did the actual harm,” she said. The prosecutor said the police investigation was “frankly, quite extensive” and had produced a “strong case”. “There has been a lot of work done to track them down,” the prosecutor said. The Ellenbrook attack was allegedly motivated by a “north vs south” of the river feud over social media, which saw members of a “South Side” gang travel north, according to a previous court hearing for his co-accused. The 14-year-old will next face court on December 19. Of the teens charged, three are aged 16, five are 14, one is 15 and another is 13. They each face offences of unlawful wounding, assault occasioning bodily harm, being armed to cause fear and disorderly behaviour. Some of the boys were also charged with carried or possessed an edged weapon. Three of them faced court on Wednesday while others appeared on Thursday. The victim has been discharged from hospital after suffering non-life-threatening injuries.