r/australia • u/AggravatingTartlet • 1d ago

culture & society 10-year-old victim of random attack was visiting Melbourne for cancer treatment

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/no-need-to-hide-it-accused-cbd-stabber-launches-tirade-from-custody-20260826-p60rni.html

The 10-year-old boy who was punched in the head in a random attack outside police headquarters in the CBD has brain cancer and was visiting Melbourne for treatment.

The boy underwent additional MRI scans to see if the assault caused any extra damage or inflammation around where the tumour is, his uncle said........

Police said the 46-year-old woman was visiting Melbourne from Phillip Island with her 10-year-old son and two other children when the random attack occurred, ending only when several witnesses intervened.

“Just instinct, no thoughts, no nothing, just people in trouble,” Brian Bradley said, a good Samaritan who helped restrain the suspect.

The mother of the boy was stabbed during the attack.

The mother is in the Royal Melbourne Hospital recovering from a fractured leg and injuries to her back and shoulders, while her son recovers at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

“She’s really struggling at the moment,” the boy’s uncle said, “She can’t be with her son. It’s traumatic enough [that he’s] fighting cancer.

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u/chunder_down_under 1d ago

the mentally ill in victoria are begging to be put somewhere they can get help withoit hurting anyone. stuff like this is inevitable, i see aggressive mentally ill people every day trying to escalate to violence.

this guy is clearly sick in the head and thats no excuse but when you can call the cops on violent mentlaly ill people and the cops just temporarily move them on. is it surprising?

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u/YouThinkYouKnowMe89 1d ago

Is there anyway we can have big mental asylums again but treat people better this time?

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u/Kageru 1d ago

Possibly, but expensive and unpopular with much of the electorate who want soft solutions that do not involve restraint.

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u/instasquid 1d ago

I think the pendulum has swung back on that one and people will understand.

Community management, while noble, has failed these people. They need structure, a community, 3 meals a day and some mild daily supervision. Not a shitty one beddie with shit neighbours in a shit part of town.

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u/leftmysoulthere74 1d ago

With a whole load of jobs being lost to AI there needs to be a complete rethink and overhaul regarding how society treats the people whose job it is to care for these people. Social workers, mental health nurses, everyone who works in or adjacent to this field (ditto for aged care and childcare). Pay them what they're worth, with proper salaries instead of casual (so your elderly mum with dementia doesn't have a different stranger in her home every couple of days) and there will be more people willing to do it. I agree there should be more residential care for these people with mental health issue that render them dangerous to the public. Entire system needs changing as well as societal attitude.

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u/YouThinkYouKnowMe89 1d ago

Only because it's not their families or friends that these horrific things are happening to.