A 15-year-old was sitting on a bench at his high school when he was approached by a gang of teenagers armed with knives and an axe in a premeditated ambush that left him in hospital with stab wounds, a Perth court has heard.
A further three boys have been charged over the incident, which happened at Ellenbrook Secondary College on Monday, taking the number of teenagers facing charges to nine.
The college went into lockdown at the time of the attack, which took place around the time the bell sounded for the end of classes.
On Tuesday three of the teenagers faced the Perth Children’s Court, which heard the assault was a result of “online abuse” between two gangs of youths from different sides of the Swan River.
The offending gang, said to be called “Southside”, took a train to Ellenbrook to carry out the attack, the court heard.
The teenagers were said to have taken the train to Ellenbrook from Perth’s south. (Supplied: Public Transport Authority)
The state prosecutor told the court the group, armed with knives and an axe, chased two students at the school, and in the fracas a 15-year-old boy was stabbed in his arm and the back of his head.
He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
A witness told the ABC they saw a group of boys enter the school grounds on Monday in ski masks and carrying weapons.
The alleged attack happened outside the school’s main building after the final bell about 3pm.
On Wednesday morning, police confirmed they had charged two 14-year-olds and a 16-year-old with four offences.
‘Zero to 100’
The 14-year-old was the first of the three to appear in Perth Children’s Court on Wednesday, where he was granted bail.
The court heard the boy was arrested on Tuesday afternoon.
“This is his first time in custody, I think it’s a bit of a shock to him,” the duty lawyer told court.
The magistrate said the accused found himself in a “difficult situation”, being before the court for the first time.
“He’s gone from zero to 100 … these are disturbing allegations,” the magistrate said.
The prosecutor read an account from a witness describing the boy and his co-accused approaching the victim, who was sitting on a bench around 3pm on Monday.
The incident sent Ellenbrook Secondary College into lock down on Monday afternoon. (ABC News: Nicolas Perpitch)
The court heard someone from the group shouted, “Oi that’s them”, after which the 14-year-old and his co-accused took out knives and an axe from their bags.
The victim then tried to run but was cornered between a road and a footpath, the prosecution said.
The 14-year-old then allegedly swung a knife at the accused “multiple times”, leading to a one-centimetre cut to the victim’s arm, while another co-accused struck the victim over the head with a baton, resulting in a centimetre-long cut to his head, the court heard.
The accused then ran away and put clothing in a bin at a train station, the court heard.
The boy was granted conditional bail, and is subject to a 24-hour curfew. He is allowed within 100 metres of Ellenbrook Secondary College and is forbidden from contacting the co-accused or the victim.
His parents were in court for the hearing.
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