After hiding for most of the year, the traditional Scarfie again raised its hideous head last Saturday 27 July with nine Castle Street arrests and a group of international students wanting to go home after an early-morning break in.
The Castle Street arrests were made after occupants called police to an out-of-control party at 11pm on Saturday night. 10 police officers, including a dog handler, shifted the 200-strong crowd outside within an hour and only made arrests when a student and eight “of the local ratbags decided they didn’t want to go home,” Constable Dean Pearce said.
Glass bottles were thrown at police and one man allegedly spat at an officer during the clash, resulting in the man being charged with assault.
All those arrested were males between the ages of 15 and 19. Six of the arrestees were given pre-charge warnings while the other three were due to appear in court last week.
At 3:20am the same night, a group of international students living on George Street were awoken by loud noises when a drunken 20-year-old man broke into their flat.
One member of the flat, a 27-year-old postgraduate dentistry student, described finding a trail of detritus (such as a jacket and tea towels) strewn throughout the kitchen and a metal fruit bowl on the living room floor. This led them to find the man sleeping on their couch.
The tenants ran to call police, who arrested a “heavily intoxicated” man soon after.
“If you drink and then you get drunk, that is fine. But if you drink and get drunk and then damage public property and throw rubbish around … that is a bit surprising for the best students in the country and the most renowned university,” the student said.
She cautions that because “it has had an emotional impact in terms of fear and anxiety, and waking up at every small noise,” this would be something she would warn prospective international students about.
It is alleged that the man, who thought he was breaking into a backpackers, broke pipes and weatherboards and smashed a window during his arrival. He also forced open three locked doors, resulting in a likely repair bill of several thousand dollars.
The flat has seen similar incidents throughout the year, usually on a Friday or Saturday night.
Students Are Students Again
