Police charge youths for DVD sex attack

Hamish Heard
Police yesterday charged eight youths accused of producing and distributing a sexually-explicit DVD of an attack on a Jan Juc schoolgirl.
Sexual Crimes Squad detectives charged the youths for their alleged involvement in the DVD that shocked the country when segments were aired on national television last year.
The amateur video footage allegedly depicted the Jan Juc teenager’s sexual humiliation at the hands of a pack of youths near Werribee Train Station.
Senior Constable Wendy Willingham, from Victoria Police’s media unit, said seven of the charged youths were aged 17, while the other one was 18.
Sexual Crimes Squad Detective Acting Inspector Simon Clemence said police expected to charge two more youths over the incident.
“We really can’t say too much at this stage because the matter is before the courts,” Insp Clemence said.
Insp Clemence was unable to confirm whether any of the charged youths were from Geelong.
He earlier told the Independent that students of “at least” one Geelong school were under investigation.
Kardinia International College principal John Goodfellow said last year that the school had expelled three students for alleged involvement in producing or distributing a DVD of the alleged attack. One of the students, from Werribee, allegedly filmed the assault, Mr Goodfellow said.
The incident sparked widespread community outrage when it was revealed in October that youths had allegedly burned images of the attack to DVDs for sale in schools and for posting on the internet.
The youths will next month appear in Melbourne Children’s Court to answer charges of procuring sexual penetration by intimidation, manufacturing child pornography and common law assault.