Three charged over marbles fired from slingshots at Melbourne businesses

Two boys and a man have been charged over about $1.1 million worth of damage in Melbourne. Photo / 123rf

Two boys and a man are on bail in Australia after being accused of causing A$1 million ($1.1m) worth of damage by using slingshots to hurlmarbles at businesses across dozens of suburbs.

Some 87 separate incidents of windows being smashed were reported from September to December, with most happening in October and November.

It happened across dozens of Melbourne suburbs including South Yarra, St Kilda, Bentleigh, Collingwood and Docklands.

The final repair bill is still being worked out but investigators believe it will be more than A$1m, with the price of fixing the windows of one building alone costing A$150,000.

On Wednesday, Victoria Police officers arrested a 49-year-old man and two boys, 15 and 16, at a home in Cheltenham in Melbourne’s southeast.

They allegedly found a small cannabis crop, six firearms, four slingshots and four extendable batons.

The trio are facing 274 charges including criminal damage, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, trafficking cannabis and possessing prohibited weapons.

The youngest boy was also charged with dealing with proceeds of crime.

A 52-year-old woman was arrested at the property before being released, with investigators revealing all four were known to each other.

The man is on bail and due to appear in court on Tuesday, while the boys were granted bail to appear at a later date.