Teen sentenced over prolonged attack on homeless woman near Adelaide library

40h

Summary

A teenager attacked a 64-year-old woman sleeping rough near the Mitcham Memorial Library at Hawthorn in Adelaide on 13 November 2025.
The attack lasted nine minutes and the court heard the victim suffered broken ribs, a fractured eye socket, a fractured jaw and a scalp haematoma.
The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to causing harm with intent and to serious criminal trespass over a series of break-ins after the attack.
He had already spent a year in detention and was diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, autism and severe ADHD.
Magistrate John Wells sentenced him to four further months in detention, with release in March and one year of supervision.

Magistrate John Wells called the offending brutal, random, unprovoked and prolonged, and said the teenager recorded portions of the attack.
Wells said the teenager attacked the woman in a sustained and vicious manner and made aggressive and callous comments during the attack.
The teenager's mother and a support person attended the hearing but declined to comment to the media as they left court.

Teen sentenced for 'vicious' attack on woman sleeping roughabc.net.au· 40h
An 18-year-old was sentenced in Adelaide's Youth Court to four more months in detention, after a year already served, over a nine-minute attack on a 64-year-old homeless woman near the Mitcham Memorial Library in November 2025, and placed under supervision for a year after his March release. Magistrate John Wells called the offence brutal, random, unprovoked and prolonged; the court heard the victim suffered broken ribs, a fractured eye socket and jaw, and that the teenager has since been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, autism and severe ADHD.