A grandfather has called for tougher bail laws in Australia after he was slashed with a machete while trying to help a group of teenagers in a car crash.
Tony Lewis walked outside his home in Corio, Geelong, to phone an ambulance after a stolen Mazda ploughed into his neighbour’s home.
But, one the four teens inside the vehicle confronted the grandfather with a machete in the street.
CCTV footage from the scene showed one of the youths yelled at him to ‘get off the phone, c***,’ and threatened that, ‘I’ll f***ing kill you’!
Mr Lewis said the response was particularly ‘frustrating’ because he was just trying to help in case one of the youths was hurt.
Then, the teenager wildly swung at him with the machete, slicing his leg.
‘Life is very fragile,’ Mr Lewis told Nine News.
‘Because all he had to do was raise his hand maybe a metre, and I could have lost my head… lost my life,’ he said.
Tony Lewis said it was becoming ‘ridiculous’ that the alleged offenders had been released on bail
CCTV captured the moment a teenager struck a Geelong man with a machete (above) after four youths crashed a stolen car into a home
Three of the teenagers allegedly fled in a getaway car with a 35-year-old woman.
The machete-wielding youth took off on foot.
Despite being apprehended by authorities, the four teens involved were all back on the street in a matter of days.
The 16-year-old alleged driver was charged with a slew of offences, including intentionally cause injury.
However, he and another allegedly involved 18-year-old boy were released on bail.
Two other teenagers were released with a caution.
‘There’s got to be consequences and there are no consequences,’ Mr Lewis said.
‘When people are constantly getting bail it’s just ridiculous.
‘You know lawmakers have to help protect us. That’s what they’re there for.’
