Rex Court death: SA Police chase young people involved in street brawl death of Mount Gambier father
EXPECT a knock on your door at any moment — that is the blunt message from Major Crime detectives to a group of young Mount Gambier people involved in the bashing death of young father Rex Court.
- Teen charged with murder after father-of-three dies
- Witnesses of brawl threatened on social media
- Murder probe reveals ‘significant lines of inquiry’
EXPECT a knock on your door at any moment. That’s the blunt message from police to a group of young Mount Gambier people involved in the bashing death of father Rex Court.
One of the lead investigators on the case, Detective Senior Sergeant Mark McEachern, told the Sunday Mail that a 15-year-old boy was currently the only person charged with the father-of-two’s murder, but others involved should expect detectives to arrive with arrest warrants at any time.
“It’s not over — it’s only just started. We won’t go into time frames as to when — there’s still a lot of investigation to do — but there will be further arrests,” Sen-Sgt McEachern, of the Major Crime Task Force, said.
“If there is a perception there that we’re finished, that is certainly not the case at all. We are three weeks in and we have made significant progress, but we are nowhere near finished.”
Mr Court, 32, died of head injuries after he was repeatedly kicked by members of a group of up to 15 youths and young adults on the town’s main street about 9pm on May 13.
Sen-Sgt McEachern said not all of the group were directly involved in the vicious attack.
But he warned time was quickly running out for those present to come forward with their version of events or else to risk being unfairly implicated.
“For various reasons, some people haven’t spoken to us, which is their prerogative, but with this sort of investigation it’s often important to put your side of events across,” he said.
“We understand why people are scared to be forthcoming as to what actually happened as far as the fight that occurred, but a number of people from the group have spoken to us.”
Mr Court’s friend Anthony Wilson, who was flown to Flinders Medical Centre with serious head injuries, has recovered enough to be interviewed by police.
Sen-Sgt McEachern said Mr Court and his friends had initially engaged in “amicable” banter with the larger group before it descended into an argument and short but vicious attack.
During the attack, two to four males joined in after arriving in a black Ford Territory station wagon.
“We think the whole thing is over in about two minutes from start to finish. It escalated really quickly, which is another reason why we’re concerned about why that Ford Territory appeared,” he said.
Sen-Sgt McEachern said the intensity of the attack distinguished it from other forms of deaths in street fights.
“It’s as severe as you will see, as far as a street fight goes ... it’s not a one-punch, fall down and hit your head and die from that scenario,” he said.
“This is a sustained assault over a very short time, so that’s why it’s a murder investigation, because there are elements within that fight that go beyond a self-defence.”
Police from other branches have been called in to assist in scouring through phone and social media records, CCTV footage and information from more than 50 calls to Crime Stoppers.
Sen-Sgt McEachern warned that police were closely monitoring social media after reports that witnesses had been threatened in the weeks after the incident.
“People are leaving themselves open to being charged with an offence, whether it be threatening or intimidating witnesses — it’s not anonymous,” he said.
Mr Court’s family remain too distraught to speak publicly about his death, but Sen-Sgt McEachern said anyone with information should remember he was a loved father.
“We’re talking about a young father and a family that are devastated. He’s just gone out for a night with his mates and then this has happened,” he said.
“He was a father of two young kids with a family who want some answers.”
The teenager charged with murder is yet to enter a plea. He was last week granted home detention bail.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Police stress that any caller can remain anonymous.