Adelaide youths claim they were 'chased' by a man before fighting with knives and stones

The alleged victim of a fight involving six teenagers outside a suburban Adelaide shopping center had been “harassing” one of the teenagers for five months, and on an earlier occasion, had hit the youngsters with a metal baseball bat, a court has heard.

The teenagers were charged over an incident outside the Arndale Shopping Center in Adelaide's north-west, which allegedly involved “swinging a large knife”.

The youths were trying to escape an adult who had been “constantly stalking” the group, the Adelaide Youth Court heard.

Police alleged two of the teenagers were carrying knives and charged the six, aged between 13 and 16, with aggravated affray over the alleged incident on Torrens Road in Kilkenny on Tuesday afternoon.

A defense lawyer for one of the 14-year-olds said her client had received a barrage of abusive texts and phone calls from the alleged victim in the months before the fight outside the mall.

She said the alleged complainant had found out where the boy lived and on one occasion had gone to his house and “hit him with a metal baseball bat”.

She said CCTV of the alleged incident on Tuesday showed the alleged complainant had initiated the altercation by verbally engaging the group.

She said the group of teenage boys had been minding their own business and had “tried to get away from the situation”.

But the prosecution said the teenager was the “main instigator” of the incident and allegedly threw a rock at the alleged whistleblower, which hit him in the chin.

She said the boy had prior convictions, including a charge of aggravated criminal trespass, and had recently had his bail conditions reduced.

Magistrate Alison Adair ordered a bail report and remanded the boy in custody until his next appearance in July.

At a hearing for one of the other teenagers, a prosecutor told the court the group allegedly shouted at the victim and “threatened to kill him” during the fight.

But the defense lawyers told the court that “a day ago [the complainant] attacked one of the boys in the group” and that he had followed the teenagers into the center on Tuesday.

During the hearing for another 14-year-old boy, who was also charged with aggravated assault, an offensive weapon and possession of cannabis, the prosecutor said the alleged offense was “extremely violent” and had been caught on CCTV and filmed by a bystander. .

The prosecutor opposed the teenager's release on all forms of bail and said he could allegedly be seen “waving a large knife at” the victim.

She said the teenager was released from a detention center last month and was subject to a suspended sentence obligation for a previous aggravated assault which included “attacking a bus driver with a knife”.

She said he had also previously been charged with six criminal trespasses and a count of theft.

The teenagers tried to 'run away' from the situation

But the teenager's defense lawyer told the court the group had “felt quite threatened” by the “fully grown” alleged victim and had “run away”.

She said they had sought shelter in a shop but were “quickly” told to leave.

“The complainant was initially following the youth group,” she said.

She said the teenagers had left the mall “to get away from the complainant” but “felt they had to protect themselves”.

“The group was not causing a scene, they were running away, they were trying to leave.”

She said the charges had been disputed and, on her client's instructions, there was “scope” for them to be reduced.

The teenager applied for bail to live with his mother.

Magistrate Adair ordered a bail report and remanded the youth in custody until his next court hearing in July, describing the alleged offending as “very serious”.

Two of the other accused teenagers, one of whom is suspected of having a knife during the fight, were released on bail.

The court heard that neither of the two teenagers had any history of previous offending.

Their bail conditions include a ban on going to Kilkenny shopping center and a ban on contacting their co-accused or the alleged victim.

Two other youths charged in connection with the incident, a 13-year-old boy from Mansfield Park and a 14-year-old boy from Athol Park, were released on bail late Tuesday after a hearing by a judge.