Australia fast-tracks machete ban after shopping centre attack
The ban - to start in Victoria this Wednesday, instead of September - comes after two gangs attacked each other at Northland shopping centre in Preston on Sunday afternoon. A man, 20, remains in hospital in a serious condition.
Victoria's premier said the ban will "choke the supply", adding "the community shouldn't have to deal with these weapons in their shopping centres - neither should our police".
Two boys, aged 16 and 15, were on Sunday charged with affray, intentionally causing injury, and possession and use of a controlled weapon.
On Monday, police said two men, aged 20 and 18, had also been arrested and were being interviewed. All four people were known to police previously.
"This was a planned fight between two rival youth gangs with no innocent bystanders hurt," said deputy commissioner David Clayton.
"Fortunately, these events are not very commonplace in Victoria," he said, adding that youth knife crime is "rare" but "frightening".
Clayton said one in 10 knife crimes in the state are committed by young people, and often happen in public places.
Emergency services were called to the shopping centre in Preston - about 11km (seven miles) north of Melbourne - just after 14:30 local time (05:30 BST) on Sunday after reports of up to 10 people fighting.
Police said the investigation "remains ongoing" and more arrests are expected. Three of the four machetes used during the attack have been seized, police said.
Victoria's Premier Jacinta Allan described the attack as "appalling".
"We must never let the places where we gather - where families come together, to meet, to shop, to enjoy the peace of their weekend - become the places we fear," Allan said at a press conference.
"It took the United Kingdom 18 months to bring about a ban on machetes and we are moving to do it within six months," she added.
In March, Victoria announced legislative changes to its Control of Weapons Act, making it illegal to sell or possess machetes, with the new law to start in September.
The ban covers machetes, which are broadly defined as "knives with a cutting blade longer than 20cm". It does not include knives primarily used in kitchens.
A three-month amnesty from September means anyone with a machete can place them in specially designated boxes at police stations.
Police also thanked a man who held down one of the alleged offenders until police arrived, saying he "performed an outstanding job", but added they don't encourage the public to become involved in such incidents.
In England and Wales, a ban on "zombie-style" knives and machetes was introduced last September, making it illegal to own, make, transport or sell a wide range of "statement" knives favoured by criminal gangs.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
18 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Pension Fund Exits Australia Childcare Firm After Abuse Charges
Australian pension fund Vision Super has divested its shareholding in G8 Education Ltd. following allegations that children were sexually abused at a center run by the early learning services provider. Vision Super sold its about A$3.3 million ($2.2 million) worth of G8 Education shares in early August, according to Chief Investment Officer Michael Wyrsch. The fund has also put the A$720 million company, which operates hundreds of centers across Australia, on its excluded investments list alongside tobacco companies and makers of controversial weapons.
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Homeless lunatic accused of killing pregnant woman and her partner, whose decapitated head was found mounted on a spike
A deranged homeless man is accused of murdering a pregnant woman and savagely decapitating her partner – whose head was mounted on a spike – in a twisted attack inside their Australian home. Athena Georgopoulos, 39, and Andrew Gunn, 50, were found dead Monday night inside their Melbourne home, which was graffitied with the phrases 'Karma is not a menu,' 'betrayal' and 'Enough is Enough,' among others, in what police believe was a targeted killing, local outlets reported. Victoria police rushed to the grisly scene after a neighbor stumbled upon the horrifying sight and screamed, according to the Herald Sun. Athena Georgopoulos was five months pregnant when she was found dead in her Melbourne home. 'I mean, no one should have to come across what I saw down there,' Ben Scott-Sandvik said of finding the couple, who were excited to welcome their baby girl in four months. 'And nobody needs to live knowing that this sort of thing has happened to their families.' Ross Judd – a 34-year-old barefoot and bloodied homeless man – was located at a nearby train station with his two dogs and cuffed about four hours after the vicious slayings, according to 'It appears to be a targeted attack, our suspect is known to the address,' homicide detective Dean Thomas said, the BBC reported. 'It does not appear to be a random attack and we are not looking for anybody else.' Authorities believe the unstable suspect went to see the couple – whom he knew – when a fight erupted before he carried out the barbaric attack and fled with his canines. Her partner, Andrew Gunn, was also found dead, with his severed head mounted on a spike. Facebook/Athena Georgopoulos The nature of their relationship and the disturbing graffiti remains under investigation. Judd was charged with two counts of murder and thrown behind bars Wednesday following a hearing at Melbourne Magistrates' Court, the outlet reported. He is expected to be evaluated in jail and is due back in court in January. Georgopoulos' devastated aunt, Petty Dilveridis, was reportedly seen crying and sitting on a curb outside her niece's defaced home the night her slain body was discovered. 'She was so looking forward to having a baby,' she told The Herald Sun. 'Because she was 39, she never thought she could have one.'
UPI
3 days ago
- UPI
Watch: Venomous snake found napping in model train set tunnel
Aug. 12 (UPI) -- An Australian reptile wrangler was called to a Queensland home where residents discovered a venomous snake napping in a model train set tunnel. Stuart McKenzie of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 was called out to a home where a resident spotted what he initially thought to be a rubber snake on his model train set. The snake catching business said on social media that the reptile was a "healthy and rather large" brown tree snake that "decided to have a sleep in the train set." The post included a video of McKenzie safely removing the snake from a tunnel on the model train tracks. McKenzie says in the video that the snake is preparing to shed its skin. The video ends with the snake being released into a tree. "Back in the tree where you belong, away from the model train set," McKenzie tells the serpent. Brown tree snakes are venomous, but are generally not considered dangerous to adult humans.
