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🇦🇺 Australia /Conflict & Security

Teenage Girls Film Attack on Ex-Officer in Western Australia

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • A former police officer, identified as Sina, was attacked and filmed by a group of teenage girls while cycling in Broome, Western Australia.
  • Sina reported that the girls chased her and a friend, throwing objects and attempting to damage their bicycles, leaving them bruised and scratched.
  • She expressed dissatisfaction with the police response, stating officers indicated the case might not proceed due to her impending departure and the girls' age.

A former police officer, who asked to be identified only as Sina, has expressed feeling unsafe in Broome, Western Australia, following a physical assault by a group of teenage girls. Sina, a German national on a working holiday visa, was cycling with a friend when the incident occurred.

They were shouting to us and we asked, 'What's the matter?' and … we stopped because we couldn't hear them.

— SinaDescribing the initial encounter with the group of teenage girls before the attack.

According to Sina, the group of five teenage girls began shouting at them. When the women stopped to hear them, the girls started running towards them with sticks, prompting Sina and her friend to try and escape. They were pursued through a park, with Sina stating the girls threw balls and stones, attempting to break their bicycles. She recounted feeling dehumanized during the attack, which left her and her friend bruised and bleeding.

One of the girls was reportedly filming the assault on her phone. Sina emphasized that the attack was not only physically harmful but also involved the unauthorized filming, constituting two distinct offenses. She felt the police response was dismissive, with officers suggesting it would be difficult to pursue the case because she would soon be leaving Australia and because the perpetrators were under 16.

I felt like I'm not a human any longer for them; I'm not worth it.

— SinaExpressing her feelings of dehumanization during the assault by the teenagers.

Sina stated that the police told her it "wouldn't make sense" to proceed with charges, implying that the girls would likely face no serious consequences. This response left her feeling that her call to the police was treated as a mere conversation rather than a report of a crime.

I called the police for a reason, not to just tell them my story and just have a chat. It doesn't matter if I'm in Germany or in Australia, because at the end, it's a crime.

— SinaCritiquing the police response and emphasizing the seriousness of the assault.

Broome police confirmed they are investigating the incident but declined to comment further on the specifics of the case or the criticisms leveled against their response. Sina mentioned that police only contacted her after the ABC had made initial inquiries about the attack, adding to her distress and sense of insecurity in the town.

It wouldn't make sense to proceed because Sina's impending departure from the country would mean the case could not go to court.

— Police (as reported by Sina)The reason given by police for potentially not pursuing the case further.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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