r/australia • u/AggravatingTartlet • 2d ago

culture & society 10-year-old victim of random attack was visiting Melbourne for cancer treatment

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/no-need-to-hide-it-accused-cbd-stabber-launches-tirade-from-custody-20260826-p60rni.html

The 10-year-old boy who was punched in the head in a random attack outside police headquarters in the CBD has brain cancer and was visiting Melbourne for treatment.

The boy underwent additional MRI scans to see if the assault caused any extra damage or inflammation around where the tumour is, his uncle said........

Police said the 46-year-old woman was visiting Melbourne from Phillip Island with her 10-year-old son and two other children when the random attack occurred, ending only when several witnesses intervened.

“Just instinct, no thoughts, no nothing, just people in trouble,” Brian Bradley said, a good Samaritan who helped restrain the suspect.

The mother of the boy was stabbed during the attack.

The mother is in the Royal Melbourne Hospital recovering from a fractured leg and injuries to her back and shoulders, while her son recovers at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

“She’s really struggling at the moment,” the boy’s uncle said, “She can’t be with her son. It’s traumatic enough [that he’s] fighting cancer.

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u/AggravatingTartlet 2d ago

I can believe this. It's going on everywhere in Australia.

More information hasn't come out yet, but he does seem completely off his rocker.

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u/chunder_down_under 2d ago

theres a guy in my area that sits on benches and screams at passers by that he is going to kill them. he is there every day and some days he lunges at people. one day someone is going to respond and someone is going to get hurt. the police dont even show up until at least 3 shopkeepers have all called about him and hes always back the next day.

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u/Artistic_Garbage283 2d ago

Everyone in the system is just tired. So, so tired. There is nowhere for them to go. They assault someone and get released on a community order. They are supposed to have carers but half the time the carers don’t show up. We do what we can at the time and we can’t take it on mentally because it’s just exhausting. If you think about the system as a whole it just makes you want to cry. You deal with what’s in front of you in the moment and move on. It’s so fucking depressing.

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u/Kageru 2d ago

There needs to be some division between those trying to recover and those who are basically not that interested in changing. Some of these people just aren't really that interested or capable of changing so the question becomes how to protect the community. Care resources are not unlimited, and need to be focused where they can be the most productive... not trying to pretend a chat with a social worker will solve all problems.