Magistrate chastises teen over assault of woman with intellectual disability on bus

A teenager who assaulted an intellectually disabled woman on a bus in Kwinana during a drug and alcohol fuelled rage has been told by a magistrate her behaviour was “absolutely disgusting”. The teenager, who cannot be named because she is underage, faced Rockingham Children’s Court on Wednesday, April 19, charged with one count of disorderly behaviour. The court was told the teen was a passenger on a Transperth bus in Bertram on October 20, 2022, at 2.58pm. The victim boarded the bus in Kwinana and sat in front of the teen. As the victim got up from her seat, the teen struck her twice to the face before getting off the bus. The teen was later arrested and taken to Kwinana police station. Legal Aid lawyer Claire Rossi said that at the time of the incident, the teen was under the influence of meth and alcohol and had just had an argument with her ex-boyfriend. “(The) woman was seated in front of her and she was in the back with her friends when they engaged with her,” Ms Rossi said. She said emotions were “heightened” at the time and the teen was unaware the woman had an intellectual disability. Ms Rossi said the woman gave the teen “a strange look” and then the teen hit her in the face. “When she spoke to me, I think the look on my face probably said it all to (her) and that the behaviour was completely unacceptable,” she said. She said the teen had since stopped using drugs and was “ashamed” of what she did. Magistrate Catherine Crawford said there was “no excuse whatsoever” for what occurred that day and the teen’s behaviour was “absolutely disgusting”. She said the “nature of the behaviour was towards the upper end” but she needed to take into account the teen’s young age and legislation outlined in the Young Offenders Act. The teen was handed a three-month community-based order with 18 hours of community work.