Teen thug released despite being on bail when sexually assaulting two women.
Rebekah Cavanagh, Exclusive, Herald Sun
January 17, 2018 6:30pm
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/teen-thug-released-despite-being-on-b...A TEEN thug on bail over a vicious street assault has been cut loose again, despite sexually assaulting two women in Melbourne’s CBD.Luka Luka, 18, was
released on bail after he beat a young man for his phone in September. He was ordered to be on his best behaviour, but police are investigating him over a series of other crimes.
And on Sunday, he terrorised two women within 30 minutes by
grabbing their vaginas “forcefully” as he passed them in the city.
One was an on-duty bus driver ushering passengers on to her bus at Flinders St about 10.50pm. The other was crossing the intersection at Flinders and Swanston streets about half an hour earlier when he put his hand up her dress.
The victims were so terrified they reported it to police immediately.
Police swooped on the drunken Hampton Park youth and arrested him on the bus soon after. He was found carrying cannabis and had to be given time to sober up before being questioned.
But two days later, when facing Melbourne magistrate David Starvaggi, Luka admitted his vile offending and was
freed without conviction on a two-year community correction order.
Mr Starvaggi noted Luka’s young age, the fact he was about to start year 12, and had pleaded guilty to the sexual assaults at the earliest opportunity as reasons for his sentence.
Before telling Luka he was free to leave, Mr Starvaggi warned him: “These two ladies were free to go about their business without being sexually harassed by you. If you do this sort of thing there’s only one place you are going to end up and that’s jail.”
Police had told Mr Starvaggi, who has only been a magistrate since July, that Luka had two other pending matters before the court.
He is accused of
punching a young man multiple times to the back of the head in September, causing injury, after making demands for the victim’s phone.
He is also expected to face Ringwood Magistrates’ Court next week on a charge of
drink-driving.Police added Luka was being investigated for his involvement in a fight in June last year where he and four others allegedly ganged up on three victims, saying they had a gun. When the victims ran away, they were chased and
beaten with a stick, and a wallet was stolen.
Mr Starvaggi ordered Luka complete just
20 hours of unpaid community work, as well as the sex offenders’ program, and drug and alcohol treatment.