By Kyra Gillespie and Brendan Rees
A group of thugs including boys from Cranbourne have been charged with aggravated home invasion after allegedly storming into a Berwick home and terrorising an elderly pensioner last weekend.
Police allege ten teenagers raided a house on Michelle Drive where they stole a gaming console just before 2.30pm on Saturday, April 7.
A mobile phone was also allegedly stolen from a fast food restaurant on Clyde Road a short time later.
Casey Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged 10 youths following the theft and home invasion.
Five boys from Cranbourne, aged 14 to16, and a 15 year-old Cranbourne North boy were among those charged.
They were bailed to appear in a Children’s Court at a later date.
An 18-year-old Narre Warren man was also charged and remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, April 9.
A 13-year-old Hampton Park boy and a 16-year-old Narre Warren South boy will be charged on summons with theft related offences.
Two 15-year-old Pakenham boys were also charged with aggravated home invasion and will face the Children’s Court.
Disability pensioner Shelly Dean says she barricaded herself in her bedroom when the youths smashed their way into her Berwick home and allegedly bashed her autistic son.
CCTV footage shows the daylight raid, where the brazen youths stormed into Ms Dean’s front yard armed with baseball bats.
One young man is seen kicking the front door repeatedly shouting abuse.
“I was terrified, when they first came in I thought they had guns,” Ms Dean said. “It was very very scary.”
Her son’s 16-year-old girlfriend, who asked not to reveal her name, said she was holding the front door shut in an attempt to keep the intruders from entering.
“I slammed the door in their faces and held it shut while they tried to break in,” she said.
When they couldn’t get in the front, some of the youths can be seen running down the side of the house and smashing a CCTV camera while another films the rampage on a mobile phone.
The youths allegedly assaulted Ms Dean’s autistic teenage son with a bat and stole a video game console and $400 cash.
Ms Dean, who suffers from progressive multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, said she is now terrified to leave the house.
“We moved here nine years ago and it’s become so bad … This has become a really scary area,” she said.
Ms Dean said she had little faith in the justice system.
“They’re just going to get a slap on the wrist and end up out on the street again, what if they come back?” she said.
“We want to move but because I need specialised disability housing it can take years and I can’t afford a private rental.”
