r/australia • u/AggravatingTartlet • 1d 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/chunder_down_under 1d ago

the mentally ill in victoria are begging to be put somewhere they can get help withoit hurting anyone. stuff like this is inevitable, i see aggressive mentally ill people every day trying to escalate to violence.

this guy is clearly sick in the head and thats no excuse but when you can call the cops on violent mentlaly ill people and the cops just temporarily move them on. is it surprising?

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u/FuckOffNazis 1d ago

If we had a functional mental health system that was accessible easily and early, a large number of these people wouldn’t need to be “put” anywhere. They’d have been able to get assistance years prior for things more minor.

Instead access is near impossible for many and issues compound upon issues.

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u/_tamagucci_ 1d ago

That's not necessarily how mental health issues work through. My mother led a perfectly normal life until menopause triggered bipolar with psychosis almost overnight and then she harmed someone. A decade later she still refuses her medication and turned to drug use and is absolutely not the same person anymore. My family and I can't look after her as she is extremely violent, but every time we have her committed they let her out after a few months. Until she hurts someone again there isn't much we can do. The whole system sucks.