Ballarat High School brawler in court

By Evan Schuurman
Updated November 2 2012 - 5:54pm, first published October 17 2011 - 1:30pm
Ballarat High School brawler in court
Ballarat High School brawler in court

A VIOLENT schoolyard riot which saw a teacher knocked unconscious and another punched and kicked while on the ground was organised through Facebook, a court has heard.At least 12 youths boarded buses from across Ballarat around lunchtime on June 21 this year, descending on Ballarat High School and allegedly goading for a fight.A 16-year-old boy from Delacombe who helped instigate the brawl appeared in a children’s court yesterday, where he pleaded guilty to affray, resisting police and using indecent language in a public place.A police prosecutor told the court a victim was drinking from a water fountain in the school grounds when he was set upon by some of the group members.After a short exchange of words, the 16-year-old and another youth allegedly started punching the victim in the head before others joined in.One of the victim’s friends who tried to intervene was said to have been knocked to the ground and kicked in the ribs by an unknown offender.After teachers tried to break up the fight, the violence spilled onto the street where two teachers were allegedly assaulted.One had tried to grab and restrain a suspected offender before his friends were said to set upon the teacher, punching and kicking him until helped by other teachers.A second teacher was knocked unconscious after one of the youths allegedly walked up and punched him in the head, knocking him back and causing him to hit his head on a sign post. The teacher went to ground and lay in the gutter at the side of the road. He was later taken to hospital by ambulance with severe concussion and soft tissue injuries to his face, shoulder and side of the head.The police prosecutor said the fight was the result of an ongoing feud between two groups of youths and had been arranged through Facebook.The teenager’s defence lawyer argued that her client was only involved in the initial stages of the brawl, and said he left when things got out of control. She pointed out that he had no prior convictions, but admitted the charge of affray was one of the most serious matters to occur within the jurisdiction.The magistrate was appalled by the violence.“This is a disgraceful event,” he said. “Anyone within earshot would no doubt have been terrified.“The court is very concerned about this very, very serious matter.”The teenager was sentenced to a nine-month probation without conviction.

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