Teen boy on bail when he allegedly kidnapped girl, court told

A 15-year-old boy was on bail when he allegedly abducted a teenage girl who was on her way to school and then drove her to a home on the other side of Melbourne, a court has heard. Appearing via video link to a children’s court on Saturday evening, the teen – who cannot be named for legal reasons – sat silently as his lawyer told a magistrate the boy was already on bail for other alleged offences. The boy, from Melbourne’s western suburbs, has been charged with one count of abduction after allegedly forcing a 17-year-old girl into a car as she entered Keysborough Secondary College in Springvale South on Friday morning.

Police allege the boy then drove across Melbourne to an address in Melbourne’s outer western suburbs, almost 55 kilometres away from the girl’s school campus. Special operations group police officers were called to the home and arrested the 15-year-old about midday. The girl was taken to hospital in a stable condition, Ambulance Victoria said.

Police believe the boy and girl are “known to one another”. The boy’s lawyer on Saturday evening asked the court to delay revoking the teen’s bail on his previous charges, but the magistrate disagreed. “In my view, it’s appropriate, given the seriousness of the charge before the court, that bail be revoked,” the magistrate said.

Turning her attention to the teen, the magistrate told him he would remain in custody until his next court appearance on July 6. In response, the boy nodded and gave a thumbs-up. His lawyer asked that the boy be assessed by a custody nurse for an injury, as well as mental health matters.

“There have also been some safety concerns in youth justice facilities previously,” the lawyer said. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.

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