A WOMAN who was stabbed while trying to save a teenager from being bashed at Sunshine railway station says she would do it again despite the danger.
Lucy Martinovic was trying to break up a fight in a tunnel beneath the station last Tuesday afternoon when she was stabbed in the torso.
Ms Martinovic, 61, was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious but stable condition. She said she was not scared and would do it again “any time, anywhere”.
“I feel sorry for this girl. My heart was broken, I was really crying. I approached immediately … I said, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Suddenly I saw blood rushing from me.”
The alleged attacker, a Flemington man, 27, will face court later this month on eight charges over the stabbing of Ms Martinovic and a 15-year-old girl.
Police responded to the incident with a high-visibility blitz around the station in the days following the stabbing.
Inspector Philip Green said Sunshine station was a known trouble spot that had been targeted with weapon-search operations.
He said extra police were in the area after the attack to provide “comfort and confidence” to commuters.
Inspector Green conceded commuters didn’t feel safe using the underpass, but the use of closed-circuit TV cameras had led to an increased arrest rate following any incidents.
“We do take incidents like this very seriously and we will be providing additional resources in the area,” he said.
The attack came soon after the first 18 of 940 protective services officers promised by the state government began work at Southern Cross and Flinders Street stations.
Premier Ted Baillieu used the attack to support the roll-out across the train network, despite Sunshine being left out of the initial allocation.
“I think this is just another reason why we have to do whatever we can to improve security on our public transport system and that’s what we intend to do.”
Brimbank Council chairman Peter Lewinsky said:
“In Sunshine, council is working to improve safety through good urban design, improving the quality of the public realm, increasing activity within the streets of Sunshine and liaising with local police.”
Mr Lewinsky said Sunshine station was being rebuilt to remove the underpass and promote safer access. “In the interim, in response to a lighting audit, new safety lighting has been installed at the bus interchange by council.” The council has also applied for funding for security lighting along Clarke Street.
Youth worker Les Twentyman said the issues highlighted a “growing epidemic” of gangs throughout Melbourne’s west.
