Rampage exposes brazen teenage gang culture

AN ARMED gang of suburban teenagers which is bringing violent American "gangsta" culture to Sydney's streets is suspected of links to a string of robberies and violent assaults.

The rampage at Merrylands High School on Monday is the latest in a series of attacks in western Sydney by a gang of mostly Islander teenagers, who brazenly display guns, knives and cash on their social networking websites.

Some of the five teenagers accused of the school attack gestured obscenely yesterday on their way to court to face more than 100 charges of assault and affray.

Internet chatter among friends of the five accused included admiration of their show of defiance.

"Hahaha did u see [him] putin his fingers up to the camera," one of them wrote on the bebo website. He even wanted to join his mates in jail. "Gettin boring man i want to go in … wat can i do to get 2 weeks inside i just wanna go say hi nd see how it is in side."

The Premier, Morris Iemma, told Parliament yesterday that he had asked the Attorney-General, John Hatzistergos, to investigate whether a new offence needed to be created in the wake of the Merrylands rampage to cover incidents in schools.

The rampage has opened a window on a world of violence, drugs and guns grown out of a veneration of American criminal culture. The teenagers, based around Granville, are known to use gang names such as the Gee40 and the Crazy Little Coconuts, or CLC.