NSW Assault - Legal Action Against a 17-Year-Old?

[Kyle Griffin]

Hey,

My friend was attacked by a girl after school in a shopping centre car park. Both my friend and the girl are 17-years-old. My friend was just walking when a girl who had heard about some random drama at school, tackled my friend to the ground and punched her repeatedly.

Once my friend managed to escape, she ran away but the girl had grabbed her bag and chucked it into the dumpster. There were multiple witnesses who gave their phone numbers. My friend suffered multiple blows to the face due to the assault, her hair pulled and a bleeding nose. Can legal action be taken against the girl who attacked my friend? A police officer said it can't because the girl was 17.

 

[Scruff]

A police officer said it cant because the girl was 17.

That's rubbish. The officer just couldn't be bothered with it - probably because unless there are serious injuries involved, nothing happens when cases like this are prosecuted. I had a similar experience when I was around the same age - and that was over 30 years ago. Obviously nothing has changed.

 

[Joshbuck]

If you have the contact details of witnesses and they’re willing to give statements along with some photos of the injuries they should be able to do something.

But yea even if she was charged she wouldn’t get into all that much trouble really. Hopefully, just the shock of being reprimanded by the authority would be enough to scare her straight.

You said this was after school, was the girl in uniform?

If so the school would definitely reprimand her.