Party aftermath

By Lilly O’Gorman
IN the aftermath of Pakenham’s most notorious party which made news headlines throughout Melbourne last week, residents of Grand Central Boulevard say they haven’t slept since and Pakenham Police are considering laying charges.
Since the Gazette broke the story last Wednesday (Party animal house, Wednesday 21 March) the out-of-control house party was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Inspector John Thexton from Pakenham Police Station said investigations were ongoing regarding who supplied liquor to the underage youth on the night of Saturday 17 March and police were considering charges related to underage drinking and criminal damage.
Insp Thexton said the underage male who was intoxicated and removed from the party by police, had been reported missing from his home in the Dandenong area.
He said police were connecting 18-year-old Jackson Arru with “the best possible services available” following the disastrous party that destroyed his home.
“When you’ve got a young 18-year-old that’s living in a premises and left to his own devices…it’s probably a recipe for some disaster to happen,” Insp Thexton said.
“In this instance you have a young man who has an acquired brain injury, so the chances of something going awry are obviously greater in those circumstances.”
“We’re making sure that Jackson is connected with all the necessary services that he requires to properly support him into the future and to minimise the chance of any similar occurrences.”
Insp Thexton said Jackson had suffered from an acquired brain injury and the house in Grand Central Boulevard was held in a trust.
He said Jackson was now staying with friends while the home, which was deemed uninhabitable, underwent major repairs.
“We’re making sure that Jackson is connected with all the necessary services that he requires to properly support him into the future and to minimise the chance of any similar occurrences.
“Obviously the neighbours in the vicinity of the premises would have been greatly concerned about what took place on that night and leading up to that night. In respect to the neighbours we have attempted to keep them informed about what’s happening and that information will be ongoing.”
One neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said Jackson had been throwing parties for the last six months.
“It was a very frightening night for all the neighbours,” he said.
“One lady, who is about 80, says she hasn’t slept since. The neighbours across the road with little kids were frightened like hell. It was like a riot scene…very frightening for everyone.”
The neighbour said Jackson was remorseful and had since apologised and offered to fix some of the damaged property.
The party had left a lasting effect on the street in other ways, with people wanting to take a look at the infamous party-house.
“Our street has become Bourke Street with everyone wanting to have a sticky (nose).
“Hopefully this makes us realise, have we got the resources to keep our town safe?”
Insp Thexton said the increased population did increase the demand on Police services, but early intervention was the key to stopping similar incidences from happening.
“If we can identify issues early we can put in place strategies to avoid those issues escalating,” he said.