‘Life here is not safe': Children charged after couple attacked in horror video

News.com.au

25-05-2025

Seven children have been charged after sickening footage captured the moment a Chinese woman and her husband were violently attacked by a group of youths in a Sydney apartment complex.
The couple, a 40-year-old man and 42-year-old woman who moved from Shanghai to Sydney last August, were allegedly assaulted inside the courtyard of an apartment complex in Eastgardens, in the city's east on Wednesday, police said.
The woman, a pharmaceutical worker who has not been publicly identified, told the ABC she was with her husband searching for lost keys when a young boy approached her.
Moments later, she said a group of teenagers gathered around the couple and began attacking her after she challenged them for swearing.
'The process was so fast. I didn't really know who these people were, and I hadn't done anything to hurt them,' she said.
'I could feel kicks and punches to my back, my head, my eyes and my arms and legs.'
Video of the incident, filmed by nearby residents, shows the woman on the ground as she is hit and kicked by multiple people.
A man attempts to intervene, but appears to also get struck.
The woman eventually manages to sit up but is kicked in the face before the group flees.
A woman with her dog was seen rushing over to help the woman.
The couple were treated by paramedics for facial injuries and taken to the hospital, police said.
They have since been discharged.
Police on Friday charged three teenagers – two girls aged 14 and a 13-year-old boy – with assault occasioning actual bodily harm in the company of other(s) and affray.
All three were granted conditional bail to appear at a children's court next month.
It came after police charged two 12-year-old girls, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl over the incident on Thursday.
The boy was charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company of other(s) and affray.
Six of the seven children are currently before the courts.
'Life here is not safe'
The woman said the incident had tarnished her 'impression of this country'.
'I still believe that most people in this country are good, including many people who came forward to help me after I was attacked,' she said.
'But after the incident, I feel the life here is not safe, because you may be attacked without warning.'
The video sparked outrage on social media, with many claiming the couple were targeted because of their racial background.
'This more or less confirms my concerns about the rise of racism and anti-China sentiment around the world,' one person wrote on social media.
'Racism plain and simple,' said another.
In a statement to news.com.au, police said 'the incident is not believed to be racially motivated'.
'Everyone in the community has the right to feel safe. Police urge anyone who has been the victim of a crime or fear for their safety to contact triple-0 immediately.'
Police are not looking for any other persons in relation to the assault.