Halloween horror thug who stabbed boy with scissors walks free despite catalogue of violence

A violent thug who avoided jail for a gruesome Halloween attack in 2020 has managed to stay out of custody despite a series of subsequent offenses. Reece Duncan, 20, had stabbed a 15-year-old boy multiple times with scissors during a night of Halloween violence fueled by alcohol. Despite the severity of his actions, Duncan was released by Perth Sheriff Court in November 2022 due to his age at the time of the attack.

Since then, Duncan has confessed to various crimes including possessing weapons, breaching bail conditions, vandalism, and threatening behavior. Despite admitting to five new cases, Duncan was granted bail again by Sheriff William Wood at the Perth Sheriff Court. The court learned that Duncan brandished a baseball bat at his neighbors in response to alleged death threats and also admitted to several other violent incidents.

Sheriff Wood expressed his disappointment in Duncan’s repeated criminal behavior and warned him to start making better choices to avoid imprisonment. The Halloween attack in 2020 saw Duncan brutally assault multiple schoolchildren, leaving one boy with severe injuries requiring emergency surgery. Despite inflicting such violence, Duncan has managed to evade incarceration, with the court placing him on a youth offender program.

In a separate case, Duncan was previously prosecuted as a juvenile under legislation targeting psychological bullying. The court’s decision to repeatedly release Duncan despite his violent behavior has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the justice system in deterring repeat offenders like him. The victims of Duncan’s attacks, particularly the boy he stabbed on Halloween, have been left scarred both physically and emotionally.

This story sheds light on the challenges in dealing with violent offenders and the need for more effective measures to prevent them from re-offending and causing harm to others. It also raises questions about the justice system’s ability to provide justice and protection to victims of violent crimes.