Jason Azzopardi Warns Of Serious Stabbing Case, Says Age Of Criminal Responsibility Should Be Lowered
Jason Azzopardi has called for the law to be updated to allow children younger than 14 to be held criminally liable.
Azzopardi published a message he said he received from a parent of a girl who was recently stabbed by a group of youths near her home.
The parent said their daughter hadn’t been going to school due to bullying, but the bullies apprehended her nevertheless while she was taking a walk in her street last Saturday.
“Five people, three young girls and two young boys, emerged out of an alley dressed in hoodies. Three of them held her down while the other two punched her. They banged her head against the wall and knifed her; luckily the cuts weren’t deep but they left a few marks.”
“The girl stumbled a bit and fell to the floor unconscious. People called and an ambulance and loads of police turned up to search for the aggressors.”
The parent warned that their daughter’s school, a Kirkop state school, went easy on this case and allowed one of the bullies to walk around with a knife at school.
“It saddens me to say that not only is school bullying not being taken seriously but, as a mother of a girl who has been bullied since middle school and is still getting bullied in Year 11, no way will I trust her to go to school.”
“She will remain locked at home until they are caught. It saddens me to say that education has gone to the dogs and the law needs to change to allow the arrest of 13-year-olds.”
“So it’s fine for them to beat up children and run around with a knife at school but if they hurt anyone we can’t do anything because they’re under 14.”
“Meanwhile, my daughter is in hospital with a concussion and I thank God it wasn’t worse.”
As it stands, the law sets the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 14, meaning that no one younger than that can be charged with a crime, although it does allow their parents or guardians to be held responsible.
Azzopardi said the government changed the law back in 2014 because it wanted to look “cool and progressive” and that the time has come to amend it again.
Should Malta lower the age of criminal responsibility?
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