Police have condemned alleged “vigilante” behavior after a Queensland Housing Commission residence in Tewantin was burned to the ground overnight. The fire, which was started suspiciously at the residence where a teenage girl was allegedly assaulted, stabbed, and humiliated earlier this month on the Sunshine Coast, shot up in flames around 1.30 a.m. today.
When rescue personnel arrived, the property was engulfed in flames and severely damaged, despite the fact that no one was inside at the time. Officers proclaimed a crime scene when no injuries were reported.
The house’s windows and doors had previously been boarded up after being “targeted by vigilantes” in the aftermath of the alleged assault on the girl.
The property’s inhabitants have now left, according to authorities. Police are now requesting additional information about the suspected arson attack and are issuing a strong warning to anyone considering similar actions.
In response to the outpouring of community outrage over the alleged activities that occurred inside, Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield stated that “the housing department is now short of a house.”
“Some other persons in need could have effectively gone in there, and we could have provided some refuge to other people who truly needed it,” he explained. “That kind of behavior is not tolerated at all. “We will thoroughly evaluate these allegations… We simply do not want this type of behavior to continue.”
Police, according to Mansfield, are “concerned for the safety” of the former tenants of the residence. “We are concerned, but now that the house has been destroyed, we anticipate that type of behavior will decrease, if not halt,” he said.
“In a modern society, we ask that people follow the methods that are accessible to them.” Police are also aware of a “racially motivated flyer” relating to the alleged torture case that was disseminated in the Tewantin region in the last 24 hours.
According to Superintendent Craig Hawkins, early indications indicate that people responsible for the fliers live outside of the Tewantin region. “It has been dispersed not only here, but also in another site in south-east Queensland,” he said.
“This is a deliberate attempt by people who do not reside on the Sunshine Coast and have no connection to the Sunshine Coast to instigate radical and racially motivated behavior. “That type of behavior would never be tolerated; everyone in Queensland has the right to feel protected.
“The cultural heritage of those who once lived in this house is utterly irrelevant. “An incident occurred, police investigated the incident, and these folks are now in court.”
Video of the alleged abuse, which was shared on social media, sparked significant indignation and anger in the state. The three girls, ages 12, 13, and 14, were accused after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly kept against her will, assaulted, and stabbed during an hour-long ordeal at a residence on March 11.
Authorities have recently learned that one of the alleged offenders, a 14-year-old, has also been charged in connection with a second alleged attack on a bus six days earlier.
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