Pair tell of Cairns kiddie gang bashing
A GANG of 12 drunken juveniles - some as young as 12 - left two mates bloodied and bruised after an unprovoked attack in Cairns.
Ryan Roberts-Barlow, 18, and his friend Nathan Roff, 17, were set upon at the intersection of Sheridan and Thomas streets before midnight on Tuesday.
Mr Roberts-Barlow said he never thought grabbing snacks from a shop would turn into an "out of a blue" and violent pack attack.
"When we were in the Night Owl, one of the little blokes starting yelling and screaming at us in the shop saying, 'we'll roll you'," he said.
When Mr Roberts-Barlow and Mr Roff left the shop, the juveniles followed them yelling and swearing.
"Next minute this little dude came round from the back of us to the front and swung his fist at my face," Mr Roberts-Barlow told The Cairns Post yesterday.
"One of them smacked me in the head with a bike and the 12-year-old kneed me in the nose while I had this bigger bloke pinned on the ground.
"Nathan's got a sore jaw that he can’t open all the way and a black eye."
Mr Roff, who recently graduated from St Augustines, said a woman in a van saw them getting beaten up.
"She was just beeping the horn at them and they ran away but it wasn't long until they got us again," he said.
The gang attacked them again on Grove St a short time later by "slamming" Mr Roff's back up against a wall.
Mr Roberts-Barlow, who has lived in Cairns for four months, said he threw their bike at them after they "chucked" it at them.
"We got away but those dudes were throwing bottles at us," he said.
They later found a security guard across the road from BP petrol station along Sheridan St who called the police.
The teenagers were taken to the 24-hour medical clinic. Investigations are continuing.
Anyone with information that could help police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Share this article
Bashed and bruised: Ryan Roberts-Barlow, 18, and his friend Nathan Ross, 17, were bashed and bloodied in an unprovoked attack by a gang of young thugs.
US snorkeller dies near Port Douglas
A 64-year-old US tourist has died while snorkelling near Port Douglas.
Three hurt in crash at Cooktown
THREE people have been taken to hospital after their vehicle rolled at Cooktown.
'Baby ecstasy scare made us better parents'
A COUPLE who fed their baby daughter half an ecstasy pill by mistake have told a Cairns court they are better parents for it.
Mum, sister tell court of teen's final hours
A MANUNDA father accused of stabbing his teenage daughter to death had used rope to trap her half-sister in the bathroom before attempting to burn the family home down, a court has heard.
