An army veteran is pushing for tougher penalties on youth crime after he was set upon and stabbed allegedly by a gang of youths in Queensland.
Chris Sanders went to Alexandra Hills Shopping Centre in Brisbane to buy a rotisserie chicken last week when he was allegedly circled by a group of teens.
He claimed he pushed one of the teenagers to the ground in an attempt to defend himself.
“I started walking back through the shopping centre and all I heard was, ‘knife, knife, knife’,” he told 9News.
Sanders was stabbed multiple times, with the blade of the knife missing his heart by only one and a half centimetres.
His wife, Jodi Lovely, who witnessed the entire ordeal, thought he was going to die.
“I thought that’s it, just looking at him on the floor in the blood,” she said.
Sanders said the attack has left him living in fear.
“All I am doing is looking over my shoulder for the next teenager who is going to stab me and I shouldn’t have to do that,” he said.
Read Related Also: Governments Spy on Your Push Notifications–and Prohibited Apple and Google From Telling Us
A 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy have been charged.
Sanders said the younger teen has been released on bail.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said “youth crime is in crisis” in Queensland.
Crisafulli has criticised Police Minister Mark Ryan for failing as northern parts of Queensland are gripped by a crime wave.
Ryan defended the government’s approach, doubling down on his stance as he appeared at the first cabinet since Steven Miles was appointed as premier.
But Crisafulli questioned why he has retained his portfolio.
“To know that he remains in that role shows not much has changed when it comes to law and order at all,” Crisafulli said.
