Major update in fatal stabbing of young Melbourne doctor
The 16-year-old accused of stabbing a young Melbourne doctor to death had allegedly committed a similar crime just months prior.
The teenager was allegedly involved in the home invasion of Dr Ash Gordon, which turned fatal after the doctor chased the intruders from his home, ending when Dr Gordon was stabbed and left for dead.
As the teens now face charges for his death, an alleged previous victim of the same teenager has come forward, claiming the young man left him with serious head injuries after robbing his house in October.
His alleged previous victims claim that the Victorian government has “blood on its hands” and that the boy should not have been released on bail.
The victims told the Herald Sun that Dr Gordon's death has left them traumatised and struggling to move on from their own terrifying encounter.
In an emotional statement, the alleged previous victims pleaded with Victorian premier Jacinta Allan to reconsider the state's planned youth justice reform.
“We are trying to move on with our lives, however, when a case on (alleged) teen crime is reported, we feel anxious, helpless and frustrated with the broken system," they told the publication.
“The Allan government and the justice system have blood on their hands, and ultimately should be held accountable.”
Under the terms of the 16-year-old’s bail, he was to adhere to a strict nightly curfew, but still managed to allegedly break into Dr Gordon's home shortly before 5:30am on January 13th.
Ms Allan has faced increasing pressure to abandon Victoria's overhaul of the youth justice system which would see the age of criminal responsibility raised.
The government has committed to raising the age that a child can be arrested, jailed or charged from 10 to 12 by the end of 2024, and again to 14 by 2027, with serious crimes such as homicide being exempt from these changes.
Ms Allen however has insisted that the reforms are a key priority of her government and that they will help prevent future criminal activity.
“There’s a huge amount of work that’s being undertaken by Victoria Police to work with those young people ... [and] that sort of prevention-based activity is the best way to address future youth crime,” she said.
“At the same time, when offences are made, Victoria Police have the tools and resources to deal with those.”
Image credits: Facebook