Rebecca Judd has once again taken aim at Victorian authorities after a teenager accused of a fatal car crash skipped bail.
Police have launched a manhunt for the 17-year-old, who was allegedly driving a stolen Jeep Cherokee that crashed into a Toyota Corolla, killing trainee doctor William Taylor, 28, as he was travelling home from football practice.
The Jeep reached speeds of 100 km/h while travelling through the central Melbourne suburb of Burwood on July 2, moments before the crash, police said.
Taking to her Instagram account, Judd, the wife of retired AFL champion Chris Judd, made a succinct comment on a report that the teenager had breached his bail conditions and was on the run.
“This is outrageous,” he posted.
The glamorous WAG has repeatedly criticised the Victorian Government’s handling of crime.
In April, he responded to multiple reports of youths running riot in Melbourne by posting: “AAnd so it goes on…and on…’.
He also responded to news of a violent home invasion that left the homeowner in hospital in the upmarket suburb of Beaumaris, a stone’s throw from Judd’s $7.3 million mansion in Brighton.
AFL representative Rebecca Judd has renewed her criticism of the Victorian government after a teenager charged in a fatal crash jumped bail.
Bec Judd didn’t mince her words on Tuesday night after reading the news.
“And one more thing… I feel so sorry for the victim. I know it’s a typical thing to say, but the system is totally broken,” Judd wrote.
Judd first publicised her concerns about feeling safe in Brighton in 2022 and has since taken opportunities to remind people about the rise in youth crime in Victoria, the highest in a decade.
“I’m pretty sure someone warned the government about this in 2022 and they downplayed it,” she said after March statistics showed a rise in burglaries in Victoria.
“They didn’t care then and they don’t care now. It’s an issue that affects all of Victoria and not just Bayside.”
William Taylor, 28, was killed when a speeding Jeep allegedly stolen crashed into his Toyota in the inner Melbourne suburb of Burwood.
Police have launched a search for the 17-year-old, who was allegedly driving a stolen Jeep Cherokee that collided with Dr Taylor’s Toyota Corolla.
Jacinta Allan’s Labour government has recently tightened bail laws, which critics say were previously aimed at freeing suspected juvenile offenders.
Acting First Minister Ben Carroll was forced to deny last week that the courts were being “too lenient” towards young offenders.
However, in a mixed message, Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines partly blamed the courts for granting bail to repeat offenders.
“It is the responsibility of the courts to ensure that repeat offenders who are out on bail have their bail revoked,” Carbines said.
“That is the expectation of the government, of parliament and of the people of Victoria.”
In granting bail to the teenager now on the run, the judge said he was in stable accommodation with his mother, attended a Melbourne private school and was not on bail at the time of the alleged offence.
The judge found that any risk the boy posed could be reduced by conditions, including a curfew.
Two 15-year-old girls were also charged with carjacking and three other men remain wanted in connection with the collision.
