More teens arrested over alleged assault of 15yo boy

Five teenagers have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a 15-year-old boy in the town of Stawell, Victoria. The incident occurred near the intersection of Wakeham and Doye streets on October 5. The boy was reportedly attacked, had his shoes and clothing stolen, before fleeing the scene. He was taken to the hospital but has since been released.

Four of the accused teenagers are set to appear in court at a later date, while a fifth is expected to be charged by police. Two additional teenagers were arrested for a separate alleged group assault in Stawell earlier this month. A 14-year-old boy has been charged with several offenses, including recklessly causing injury, while a 16-year-old girl is also expected to be charged.

This follows the arrests of two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old on Tuesday, who were charged with affray, robbery, recklessly causing injury, and theft. They will also appear in the children's court at a later date. This case has reignited calls for increased CCTV surveillance in the town, as community members have been pressuring the Northern Grampians Shire Council to install cameras in identified crime hotspots.

Mayor Karen Hyslop stated that the council's policy has not changed for now, but priorities can be re-evaluated. She mentioned that the council had considered the financial cost and privacy concerns, finding that CCTV installation would require allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars from the budget. However, Stawell resident Jessica Lees, who conducted an online survey supporting the installation of CCTV, expressed dissatisfaction with the council's response.

Lees questioned why the council had not explored all options, including state government grants for the cameras, as other councils in Victoria have managed to fund similar installations.