According to a report in Fairfax newspapers today, the 15-year-old former Cranbrook School student accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious teenage girl at a house party has been permitted to travel overseas to visit his parents at taxpayer’s expense.
The teenager has been charged with aggravated sexual assault on the girl at Bellevue Hill in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on March 4. Another teenager has faced court charged with filming and distributing footage of the attack.
Bidura Children’s Court heard on Thursday that the boy’s father has a high-ranking position with the Australian government, and is currently posted overseas. The government would cover the costs for the teenager, who cannot be identified, to visit his parents under reunion provisions.
The prosecution argued that the teenager’s $10,000 bail was not sufficient to dissuade the family from simply not returning from the overseas country, which reportedly does not have an extradition treaty with Australia.
The judge found that it was unlikely the boy would flee prosecution, as it would jeopardise his father’s employment:
Frankly I don’t expect that to be required because I’m of the view that the negative impact on the entire family of the young person should he not comply with his bail would be such as to be catastrophic for that family unit.
The matter will return to court in July.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
