Kai Matthew Collins jailed for meat cleaver attack at Westfield Helensvale, preying on girls online

A popular Gold Coast shopping centre security guard torn to ribbons by a teen armed with a meat cleaver opens up on his recovery as his attacker is jailed. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Westfield Helensvale security guard Johnny Whenuaroa (centre, with the cane), alongside friends and family members outside Southport Courthouse on May 27, 2025. Picture: Alex Treacy

A Westfield Helensvale security guard viciously slashed by a teenage attacker with a meat cleaver is ready to forgive but says he’ll never forget, as his assailant learnt his fate in court.

Johnny Whenuaroa, with both knees in braces and moving with a cane, attended Southport District Court on Tuesday, May 27 to see his attacker, Oxenford man Kai Matthew Collins, 20, jailed for a maximum of eight years.

Mr Whenuaroa, who has just had a fourth surgery since the attack – during which he lost 700mL of blood and had both quadricep tendons severed – said: “I personally need to forgive, but I won’t forget what’s happened”.

“Both my knees are just not the same,” he said.

“It’s not just the physical, but also the mental side too is a struggle.”

The bloody scene where Mr Whenuaroa was stabbed at Westfield Helensvale. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Mr Whenuaroa, supported in court by family and first responders from the grisly scene, revealed he was still triggered by the sound of police helicopters and struggled with crowded shopping centres.

“I can’t tell you whether I will heal or not, but I’ve just got to do the best I can,” he said.

“It’s a battle – you just battle every day.”

Collins pleaded guilty to 14 charges. In addition to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, he admitted unlawful entry of a motor vehicle at night for the purpose of committing an indictable offence, and 12 charges relating to possessing and distributing child exploitation material, and the indecent treatment of two girls aged 12 and 14.

The child abuse charges related to Collins exposing the young girls to sexual material, procuring nude images from them, and distributing said material.

Staff seen cleaning up the scene after Mr Whenuaroa’s stabbing. Picture: Keith Woods.

That offending was committed when Collins was 18. He was on bail for those charges when he committed the subsequent unlawful entry and wounding offences.

The court heard that on August 24, 2023, Collins and two juvenile co-offenders attended a laundromat at Mount Warren Park with the intention of stealing a vehicle.

They allegedly caught up with a laundromat customer in the rear carpark, where Collins threatened her with a knife before yanking a lanyard containing the victim’s keys, causing her to fall over.

The group are believed to have eventually obtained the keys to a Holden Trax, the vehicle used to ferry Collins and his juvenile co-accused to Westfield Helensvale the next day.

The court was told the group had swelled to eight by the time they arrived at the shopping centre.

Mr Whenuaroa and his wife in June 2023. Photo: Supplied.

Mr Whenuaroa was on duty when he was called to assist in ejecting some members of the group misbehaving at Woolworths, Crown prosecutor Jessica Guy told the court.

There was a confrontation near Specsavers, which led to pushing and shoving as Mr Whenuaroa shepherded the group towards the exit.

Collins, apparently enraged an alleged female co-offender had been pushed, decamped to the stolen Trax, where he armed himself with a meat cleaver swiped from a hardware store days prior.

He re-entered the fray, with Mr Whenuaroa backing away upon sighting the blade.

However, after another co-offender allegedly threw signs at Mr Whenuaroa, and Collins began swinging.

Ms Guy said Collins slashed Mr Whenuaroa across the stomach before the security guard was able to grab the young man by his hoodie jumper.

Police at the scene of Mr Whenuaroa’s stabbing. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Collins then managed to hack at both Mr Whenuaroa’s knees causing him to fall to the ground, at which point Collins was able to pin the wounded guard. The court was told this enabled a co-offender to kick the stricken man several times in the head.

Court was told once the group of offenders met back at the stolen Trax, Collins was heard to say: “I stabbed the black dog, it’s what he deserves, I don’t care, this is what I do.”

Collins was arrested soon after.

Mr Whenuaroa’s injuries included an 8cm laceration to his torso, a 6cm laceration to his forehead, an 8cm laceration to his little finger, smaller cuts to his right forearm, a broken nose, and lacerations to each knees.

The slashes to his knees severed both his quadriceps tendons, with the cleaver sinking especially deep into his left knee, entering the knee joint and impacting the lower thigh bone.

Mr Whenuaroa’s blood pressure was recorded as 70/57, a dangerously low level.

Ms Guy submitted Collins should be sentenced to up to eight-and-a-half years’ jail, and it was open for Justice Rowan Jackson KC to declare Collins as being convicted of a serious violent offence, meaning he would not be eligible for parole until serving 80 per cent of his sentence.

Police at the scene of Mr Whenuaroa’s stabbing at Westfield Helensvale. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Defence counsel James McNab told the court his client, with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder, is covered by an NDIS plan, lived a blameless life until he turned 18, at which point his medication regime fell apart as he transitioned from the care of a pediatrician.

Mr McNab said his client had the support of his parents and brothers, and been a “model” inmate at Woodford Correctional Centre, such that he had been able to transition to residential accommodation at the prison.

A letter of apology, though “unsophisticated”, demonstrated Collins’ remorse and insight, Mr McNab added.

Reports tendered to the court indicated Collins would be at a high-risk of reoffending, perhaps for decades, unless subject to a high level of medical and psychological supervision.

Justice Jackson sentenced Collins to eight years’ imprisonment. He ordered the defendant be parole eligible after serving three years and four months, which, with time served, will occur next December.

Outside court, Mr Whenuaroa was sanguine when asked how he felt about the quantum of sentence.

“You wish it could’ve been more,” he said.

“But at least there’s been some kind of justice.”

Originally published as Kai Matthew Collins jailed for meat cleaver attack at Westfield Helensvale, preying on girls online