A child was arrested and charged for squirting tomato sauce on furniture in a residential care home despite procedure dictating arrest should be used as a last resort, a royal commission has heard. Lawyer for the Northern Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) Dr Peggy Dwyer told the commission a girl, who was represented by the agency, was charged with malicious damage for squirting the sauce on a piece of furniture while in a home. Dr Dwyer recounted the matter while questioning superintendent for custody and judicial services Ian Lea on how this could have been allowed to happen given the emphasis on arrest as a last resort for juveniles.
