HJ’s attacker stole safe while on bail, court told

A youth who stabbed a man outside the Geraldton Hungry Jack’s restaurant in June also helped steal a safe allegedly containing $47,000 cash, a court was told today.

The 17-year-old from Geraldton appeared by video link from Banksia Hill Detention Centre for sentencing before Geraldton Children’s Court on four charges he had previously pleaded guilty to.

These included unlawful wounding from the June 9 incident, and burglary, stealing and cultivate cannabis charges from an incident that occurred on October 10, while the youth was on bail.

The court was told he and two others stole a safe allegedly containing $47,000 cash, passports, documents and 1 gram of cannabis from a Geraldton residence.

However sentencing was delayed when Magistrate Donna Webb said the differences between the offender’s and the victim’s story in relation to the stabbing were “too wide” to proceed to sentence.

There will now have to be a trial on the issues, with witnesses to be called before the court to testify about what happened on that night, and also about the nature of the relationship between the offender and the victim’s son prior to the assault.

Ms Webb said the disputed facts were “critical matters that needed to be considered for the purpose of sentencing.”

The youth has been remanded in custody to reappear in the same court on December 9.