Markets 
A 16-year-old boy accused of breaking into Perth Zoo last weekend and being involved in the bashing of a crocodile has been living a transient life in care “for a long time” a court has been told, which likely led to repeat alleged offending.
The teenager and his 17-year-old alleged co-offender have been accused of breaking into the zoo on Sunday night and cutting the locks to the saltwater crocodile enclosure.
It is alleged the 16-year-old shone his phone torch at the crocodile, named Dangalabba, leading the reptile to lunge at the pair as if to bite them.
The boys allegedly continued to agitate the 400-kilogram, 4.5 metre-long crocodile and “appeared to fight it” before the 17-year-old is alleged to have hit him on the head with a metal pole, leaving the reptile with minor injuries.
On Friday, the younger boy pleaded not guilty to the incident via video link from Banksia Hill Detention Centre where he also made an application for bail.
But when the magistrate enquired about his living circumstances, it was revealed the boy had been moving from home to home on a daily basis “for a long time”.
“[The boy] has been prescribed medication but has not been on that for some time because he has moved every day,” his lawyer told the court.
“He hasn’t for a long time had a proper placement. He is moved every day.”
The court was told that the boy struggled to attend school due to repeatedly moving and that keeping to a court-imposed curfew was difficult.
The 16-year-old is currently facing separate multiple charges for criminal damage, trespass and common assault after he is alleged to have smashed windows, thrown rocks at a woman and broke into a house in Maddington in separate alleged offences that go back to January this year.
He was on bail for that alleged offending when he allegedly broke into the zoo on the weekend with his co-offender, who is also a ward of the state.
But despite concerns over his living arrangements, the teen was released on bail with conditions that he be housed in longer-term accommodation or return to custody.
“His offending is very much connected to the instability around his housing,” magistrate Alana Padmanabham said, before adding that she felt she could not penalise the boy and keep him in custody when he was “at the mercy” of the Department of Communities.
He will be back before the court on October 30.
From our partners
Read the full article here
