A VIOLENT attack on a Coles worker in Ipswich has sparked a heated political debate over youth crime laws.
Claudia Campomayor Watt, a 63-year-old mother of two, was allegedly stabbed by a 13-year-old boy while stocking a fridge at the Yamanto Coles supermarket on January 13.
Local MPs have clashed over the incident, with Labor and LNP representatives pointing the finger at each other’s policies in the wake of the attack.
Ms Watt, who suffered serious injuries in the assault, is reportedly lucky to have survived and is now on the road to recovery.
Her family released a statement thanking the public for their overwhelming support and expressing their relief that she is still alive.
“The incident has left us is a state of shock and we remain in the process of trying to come to terms with what has happened,” the family said.
“We would like to take the opportunity now to publicly acknowledge the support that we have received and thank all those involved who helped to save her life.
“We still have a long journey ahead of us but thankfully Claudia is now on the road to recovery.”
The incident has reignited the debate over Queensland’s youth crime laws.
Labor MPs Jennifer Howard and Shayne Neumann condemned the attack and blamed the LNP’s controversial “Adult Crime, Adult Time” laws for exacerbating youth crime.
State Member for Ipswich Ms Howard argued the laws were rushed, and warned of their unintended consequences, while Federal Member for Blair Mr Neumann called for harsher penalties for serious crimes, stressing perpetrators should face the “full force of the law”.
“It is senseless violence and there is no place in the community for this type of criminal conduct,” he said.
“Perpetrators of serious crime should be prosecuted with the full force of the law.”
Meanwhile, LNP candidate for Blair, Carl Mutzelburg, shifted blame to the previous Queensland Labor Government, accusing it of weakening laws over the past decade.
“Unfortunately, Queenslanders have become all too familiar with incidents of youth crime, following a decade of inaction and a weakening of laws by Labor,” he said.
“The Premier has indicated he is open-minded to toughening the laws further to ensure community safety and I support that approach.”
But criminal justice expert Greg Barns has criticised what he sees as knee-jerk policy changes driven by political pressure, warning against hastily adding charges to existing laws.
