By DANIELLE GALVIN
A PAKENHAM mum says her 17-year-old son is terrified to leave the house after he was threatened with a knife at Bourke Park recently.
The mum, who did not want to be named, described how her son was approached and attacked at the park after leaving Pakenham Train Station.
“Pakenham police have been fantastic but a couple of things have bothered me – it happened at 7.30am and there was no adult at the station that thought to ring triple zero,” she said.
“These guys asked him for a cigarette and demanded his phone.
“They pushed the knife in a little bit and said ‘don’t be mistaken – we will f***ing kill you’.”
The young men approached him just after 7.30am on 31 March after he had caught the train from Cardinia Road Train Station.
Police believe he was approached by a group of young men, one wielding a knife, before they demanded his phone.
The teen, described by his mum as a gentle soul, has “never been in a fight in his life” and was on his way to work.
“They said stop being a smart ass and give us the security code (to his phone),” the mother said.
“My job now is to heal my son and I don’t want this to happen to someone else.
“This situation is out of control.”
She said her son would avoid the area and the incident was disturbing.
“When he told me it took me a long time to realise it had had happened at peak hour,” she said.
“I told him that I don’t care about the phone – when someone is holding a knife to you – give them the phone.
“We can replace a phone, we can’t replace him.
“I feel safer in New York catching the train than I do in Pakenham.”
Cardinia PSA Inspector Robert Wallace said the police were aware of the anti-social behaviour at the station and in the wider transport hub.
“We do conduct regular patrols and we do have some things in place,” he said.
Mr Wallace said the police patrols would increase over Easter including at the park.
He said that police were aware of the incident and patrolled the park frequently.
The local mum said she wanted to warn others to be aware of the incident.
“What I am angry about is why didn’t anyone see this happen?” she said.
“I just want it out there so that other people stay safe.”
