Two teenage girls accused of attacking a man with a knife as they stole his mobile phone during a Facebook Marketplace meet-up will remain in custody after acting “out-of-control” after their arrest,with one refusing to take part in her court appearance.
Prosecutor Catherine Shade said the youths,aged 13 and 15,had used a fake Facebook account to reply to a 43-year-old man’s ad to sell his iPhone,asking him to come to an address in Banksia Grove on Sunday afternoon to complete the deal.
She told the Perth Children’s Court on Monday that when the man arrived,the 13-year-old girl was standing at the edge of the property waiting.
“[The girl] snatched the phone and ran in a westerly direction to meet up with[her co-accused] who was standing in a driveway holding a large knife,” Shade said.
“The complainant chased them ... and it’s alleged[the 13-year-old] swung a knife twice at his head,causing lacerations ... the[other girl also] swung a knife twice at his head,causing lacerations.”
The pair then fled but were arrested hours later at another house where police allegedly recovered the man’s iPhone,as well as bloodied clothing and a knife.
Shade alleged the case against the two teenagers was strong,with police retrieving CCTV of the pair buying knives from Kmart before the attack.
“Both accused girls were allegedly working together quite deliberately as a well orchestrated team,” she said.
“That includes,according to the complainant,using an account under a different name to set up the meet and providing a different address that’s not their address.”