Jul 13, 2023

Teen accused of suffocating older woman in home invasion out on bail

Screenshot 2023-07-13 083417
The accused was supported by his father in court, who is a prison supervisor. [Source: 9News]

The teenager accused of suffocating an older woman in her Victorian home has been released on bail.

Appearing before a court earlier this week, the 15-year-old boy was accused of breaking into 83-year-old Anne Balshaw’s unit in Mornington and allegedly smothering her with a pillow last month.

The court also heard there are 69 criminal charges against the boy, ranging from aggravated burglary to theft and at the time of his arrest he was already out on 10 counts of bail.

Ms Balshaw told 9News she awoke to intruders rummaging through her wardrobe at about 11.30pm on June 8. After she tried to yell at the offenders, one allegedly grabbed a pillow and held it over her face.

Police believe three offenders broke into Ms Balshaw’s home and stole her Hyundai i30 and $3,000 in cash. The court heard the teen has spent 32 days in detention at the Parkville Youth Justice Precinct.

Police said the teen would pose a risk if bailed. The magistrate agreed but said young people couldn’t be locked up forever. He was charged with aggravated burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, and committing an indictable offence on bail.

The accused was supported by his father in court, who is a prison supervisor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Elderly gay couple decide to leave their Toowoomba home after years of abuse

An elderly gay couple claims that local police did not take their claims of assault seriously after eight years of homophobic verbal abuse allegedly escalated to physical violence. Read More

What the NDIS cuts mean for people with disability and their families

The latest National Disability Insurance Scheme’s (NDIS) quarterly report shows the average plan size per participant fell 4% between 2020 and 2021. This confirms what many disability advocates have been warning about for some time: that the government is seeking to rein in costs of the NDIS by reducing individual plans. Read More

Federal government accused of neglect as Vietnam veterans found living in squalor

An advocacy group has accused the federal government of neglecting Australian war veterans with PTSD. Some veterans in SA have been found living in homes filled with rubbish and inches of rat faeces. Read More
Advertisement