Distraught father The Australian 2006

John Stapleton

A distraught father at the Bidura Children's Court yesterday claimed the court was putting their 16-year-old ice addicted daughter at risk by constantly releasing her back into the community.

The girl was facing charges of aggravated robbery and possession of an illegal drug.

But the father, Trevor, who cannot be fully named for legal reasons, said his daughter would be dead by the time she was 18 if the court continued to ignore the parents wishes that she be kept in custody for her own protection.

He said the minute his daughter got released she caught a cab back to the troubled inner-city suburb of Waterloo, where she was living with a 35-year-old ice dealer.

``The police and the juvenile justice system are completely unprepared for the ice epidemic,'' he said. ``Twelve months ago she was a private school girl, top of her class. She had dreams of being a lawyer. It breaks my heart.

``The bail laws of the Children's Court are an absolute joke. They don't listen to the parents. They won't even listen to the case workers. They are out of touch with the community.

``The court has to stop listening to the kids and take some judicial responsibility. We treat these kids with kid gloves, it doesn't work.

``These kids don't respect the courts, the police, they laugh at the weakness in the judicial system.''

He said the police were incapable of dealing with the ice epidemic. ``The streets of Marrickville, Redfern, Glebe, are flood with it. There are massive amounts of money flowing around amongst the dealers.''

He said ice was so popular amongst young people because at $20 a pop it was cheap than heroin. ``We have spent hours upon hours combing the streets for her, looking for her, pulling her out of drug dens.

``The biggest thing for parents is that at first you don't see the symptons. Then we found a little glass pipe. At first we thought it was marijuana. She stole money from her little sister to buy drugs. It has been downhill ever since.

``She is up on robbery charges, robbing with a gun. She pistol whipped two guys and half killed. On ice they become superman, or superwoman. Nothing can stop them.

``In Sydney, ice is only a cab fare away.''

The girl's mother, who did not want to be named, said once the kids were on ice they lost their childhood and became cold, calculating and had absolute contempt for authority. ``The courts are just a hindrance to their drug taking, they know how to get bail, how to play the system,'' she said.

``Parents have to be aware, you have to keep close to your kids. Ice destroys the whole family strucure.

``We need to make sure the judiciary do their job and send the kids to rehabilitation.''

She said the fact she wanted her own daughter kept in custody showed how drastic the situation had become. ``She is no longer the same little girl we raised, she was an angel.''