‘You ran like cowards’: Teen’s mother lashes pair over Gold Coast killing

One of two youths who killed Jack Beasley in the Gold Coast’s party precinct could be free in a year.

Jack Beasley with his father Brett.

Almost three years after the stabbing on Surfers Paradise Boulevard, with Beasley dying in hospital that night, his distraught mother came face to face with his killers.

“You ran away like cowards and left Jack ... to die on the footpath with not a care in the world,” she cried in Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday. “What sort of people are you?”

Moments after the killers had been sentenced, the families involved began yelling and swearing in the courtroom. “Your son is a f---ing murderer,” one woman could be heard saying.

Beasley was 17 when he was stabbed in the chest on the night of December 13, 2019.

Five people were charged over Beasley’s death – four were teenagers at the time.

Defendants 1-3 faced a two-week judge-only trial in Brisbane Supreme Court in May.

Last month, all three were found “not guilty” on all charges by Judge Soraya Ryan.

Defendants 4 and 5 had already pleaded guilty to their role in the stabbing.

That fateful night, the group had chased Beasley and his friends from the Surfers Paradise tram station. They caught up to Beasley’s group on Surfers Paradise Boulevard, outside Paradise Towers Apartments.

“You didn’t just kill Jack that day, you killed our family,” Beasley’s mother told the court.Credit: Jack Beasley Foundation

The attackers asked Beasley’s group if they “wanted to go for a walk”. One of Beasley’s group told the attackers to “leave them alone”.

Defendant 4 pushed Beasley. Beasley flicked a cigarette towards him.

A scuffle ensued, Beasley grabbed Defendant 4 and ended up on the ground.

Beasley’s friend was stabbed shortly after by Defendant 5.

Beasley regained his footing, but as he stood up, Defendant 5 stabbed him in the middle of his chest.

Defendant 5 stabbed Beasley’s friend for a second time. He was lucky to survive.

In court on Friday, Belinda Beasley, Jack’s mother, read a statement to the pair.

“You didn’t just kill Jack that day, you killed our family. We are only just surviving,” she said.

Defendant 4, now 20, was 17 at the time of the stabbing. He had a lengthy criminal history starting when he was 12. Many of the offences involved violence and were committed while on bail or probation.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter, grievous bodily harm as well as lesser unrelated offences.

Ryan sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment, with parole after serving 3½ years. With time already served, he will be eligible for parole in August 2023.

“You were actively involved in the fight until it ended, and you went to that fight knowing [Defendant 5] had a knife on him. I hope you carry his [Beasley’s] mother’s words with you for the rest of your life,” the judge said.

Defendant 5, 15 at the time of the stabbing, pleaded guilty to murder and malicious acts with intent. He also apologised to the Beasley family in court.

“None of your companions intended to do any serious harm to anyone in Jack Beasley’s group, none of them wanted or expected you to pull out your knife. They were looking for a fist-fight for something to do,” Ryan said.

She sentenced him to 10 years behind bars, and he must serve seven years before parole eligibility, with 4½ years already served.