Five teens charged, three refused bail over shocking Geraldton robbery which left 78yo Ruth O’Brien injured

A 78-year-old Geraldton woman left bloodied, bruised and fearing for her safety after an alleged home invasion has forgiven those accused of attacking and robbing her. Five teenage boys as young as 12 have faced court over the alleged robbery of senior Ruth O’Brien in her Rangeway home in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Despite her injuries, Ms O’Brien said she forgave the culprits, saying more needed to be done to provide stability for youth in the community. Geraldton police allege a group of juveniles were involved in a string of burglary and stealing incidents in Rangeway, Webberton and Waggrakine on Tuesday morning. Ms O’Brien was left with a gash on her right eye and bruising on her face and body after she was bashed in the face with a broom in her Rangeway home. Five boys, aged between 12 and 15, appeared in Geraldton Children’s Court this week charged with aggravated burglary, burglary, stealing, three counts of stealing a motor vehicle and traffic offences. Three of them, aged 15, 14 and 12, were also charged with aggravated robbery. Two boys were granted bail, including the 14-year-old alleged main offender accused of assaulting Ms O’Brien, while three other co-accused, aged 12, 13 and 15, were refused bail. The court was told it was only the day after the 14-year-old was granted bail that police prosecutors revealed to magistrate Kelly Thompson that the boy was accused of the violent attack. Ms Thompson said she released him on bail largely because she was told he was not involved in the violence. The police prosecutor said they did not have that information at the time of the boy’s court appearance and that it was only confirmed following further inquiries. All five teenagers did not enter pleas to the charges relating to the robbery at Ms O’Brien’s home. The court was told about 12.10am on Tuesday, the group allegedly broke down the back door of Ms O’Brien’s home and confronted her, with one alleged intruder striking her to the face multiple times with a pole. She received a laceration to her right eyebrow and cheek, and bruising on her face and arm. Ms O’Brien’s keys, car, purse and mobile phone were then allegedly stolen. The group is also accused of driving Ms O’Brien’s car to another address in Webberton where they allegedly stole a Isuzu D-Max, and another in Waggrakine, where motorbikes were stolen. Another 12-year-old boy was granted bail after the court was told he assisted the woman after the alleged assault by giving her a tissue for the facial bleeding and pouring her a glass of water. Defence lawyer George Giudice said the boy was “shocked” by the alleged assault and stayed with the woman to help her while the others drove away in the stolen vehicle. Ms O’Brien backed that those claims. “There was a young fella who was with them who stopped them. He was so good. The guy that hit me would have killed me if the young fella didn’t step in,” she said. “When he hit me and there was blood everywhere, he picked up tissues and passed them to me and said, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I told him not to hit you’.” Ms O’Brien spoke out after the attack, claiming she did not feel safe in Geraldton because of her age and this was not the first time her home had been invaded. “I’m just exhausted, I have a shocking headache, the side of my face is very sore and my eye is black and very swollen. My brain feels like it’s being shaken around, if you put it that way,” she said. Ms O’Brien said she held no malice against the teenagers, who needed stability in their lives, and forgave the accused for attacking her. “I never walked in this fella’s shoes, but he was so angry. I think a lot of it comes back to their childhood,” she said. “We have a lot of kids on the streets here that need us. I honestly think the Government or our council are not doing enough to support them. “It’s frustrating for them because a lot of people don’t feel safe at home. A lot of them are so hungry they will take everything.” The incident comes after three boys were charged over a separate violent robbery at Arcadia Waters aged care facility in Wandina earlier in the week. An 86-year-old woman was allegedly kicked to the ground before the teenagers stole her car. It was the second time the retirement village had been targeted by youths in less than a month.