Spear attack on Yarrabah family
A SPEAR thrown into a home, narrowly missing an 11 month old baby, has been the latest in a string of attacks by teen thugs at a family of 11's unit at Yarrabah.
The Warta family has been living in fear for the past year.
Residents say a gang of 15 kids, some as young as eight, roam the streets at night and terrorise the family.
Rocks, bottles, bars and sticks are thrown into the family’s Workshop St unit.
The family says once their front concrete porch was set on fire after it was doused in petrol.
In the latest attack on Saturday, health worker Denis Warta said he caught the spear aimed at him and his young children and then snapped it across his knee and took it to police.
He said he was inside at the time while the group was yelling outside.
"I went out to tell them to move on, then they threw it at me," he said.
His 11-month-old daughter, Emily, was nearby. She was the victim of a slingshot attack last month.
Mr Warta said the gang tormented his sons the most. About a fortnight ago, his son Michael, 10, was heading across the road to play with a friend but was set upon by five teenagers.
"They kicked him in the guts like a dog," he said.
Carol Warta, Mr Warta’s mother, who also lives with the family, said she "hardly sleeps" because she is on watch most nights because of the attacks.
"We’ve been reporting it to the police," she said. "It’s always the same. They are always on the lookout for each other. They know the police finish at 12 o’clock and that’s when they come out."
Resident Gwyneth Yeatman said there should be a curfew for all children.
"These are the truant kids and breaking in to places for fun," she said.
"The whole community is angry about what they are doing to this family."
The Warta family say they are moving from their unit this week with the help from the
Department of Housing.
It is understood the gang has a "vendetta" against Mr Warta over personal matters.
A police spokesman said the incidents at the unit were being investigated.
"Police are working with the family to address the problem," he said.
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Living in fear: The Warta family, including (from left) Katrina, Caroline, Denis, Tiffany, 11, and Emily, 11 months, have been terrorised by young thugs for the past year. Picture: JAKE NOWAKOWSKI
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