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Teen remains in custody after supermarket stabbing

Source: AAP

A 13-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder after the alleged stabbing of a Coles employee.

Police allege the teenager approached the 63-year-old woman while she was working at the supermarket in Ipswich’s Yamanto Shopping Centre, south-west of Brisbane, and stabbed her in the back with a knife.

Say Sushi worker Dshering Dema was working across from the supermarket on Monday afternoon when she heard screaming and saw people running out of the store.

She went to see what the commotion was about and saw the woman had been stabbed in the back and was lying on the ground with blood pooling around her.

“It was very scary, I came back and was shaking,” she said.

The boy tried to flee but shoppers and security staff restrained him until police arrived.

The injured woman was treated by police before being transported by paramedics to Princess Alexander Hospital. She remains there in a critical but stable condition.

The teenager was charged overnight and his matter was mentioned in Ipswich Childrens Court on Tuesday.

The boy did not appear in person and duty lawyer Peta Dent asked for an adjournment for a brief of evidence to be prepared.

The teen was remanded in custody to face court again on February 25.

Detective Inspector Michael Manago condemned the violent attack.

“This is an abhorrent crime that occurred to an innocent, 63-year-old woman who is going about her daily employment at that shopping centre and it shouldn’t happen in society,” he said.

Police confirmed the alleged attack was random and they believe the boy acted alone.

Detectives are investigating how he obtained the knife, with recent legislation known as Jack’s Law restricting their sales in Queensland.

Dema said the incident had made her concerned about coming to work.

“I now feel very unsafe here,” she said.

Police have assured the community there will be extra high-visibility patrols at Yamanto Central.

A Coles spokesperson expressed their support for the injured worker and praised those who intervened.

“Our thoughts are with our store team member and their family … we are committed to providing them with support, as well as their colleagues who are being offered counselling during this difficult time,” they said.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli also condemned the incident, calling it traumatic and reflective of broader issues in Queensland.

“What has unfolded is something that no Queenslander wants to see,” he said.

“There’s a sense of deja-vu for the state and is exactly the kinds of incidents that Queenslanders have had enough of.”

Crisafulli flagged further changes to youth justice legislation, following the “adult crime, adult time” laws passed in December, which did not include harsher sentences for attempted murder.

“I’ve already indicated that we are putting together an expert panel to do future changes,” he said.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles sent his condolences to the family of the worker who was “senselessly attacked”.

The incident comes almost a year after Ipswich grandmother Vyleen White was allegedly fatally stabbed by a teen boy in the carpark of a shopping centre.

White’s daughter Cindy Micallef said she felt a sense of history repeating as she is about to mark the first anniversary of her mum’s death.

“It’s absolutely awful. This is very surreal … it’s like deja-vu. How can this be happening again?” she told Nine Network’s Today show.

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