Jayden Dau murder trial: Witnesses describe lead up to fatal brawl at New Years party

A teenager has recounted in court the panicked moments between finding his bloodied friend on the ground and bundling him into a passing car to be taken to hospital, as another teen stands trial for his murder.

Seventeen-year-old Jayden Dau was killed after allegedly being stabbed at a Manoora street party in the early hours of New Year's Day, 2022.

A teenager has recounted in court the panicked moments between finding his bloodied friend on the ground and bundling him into a passing car to be taken to hospital, as another teen stands trial for his murder.

The boy, now 18, gave evidence in the Cairns Supreme Court trial of another teenager accused of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Jayden Dau at a birthday party in the early hours of New Year’s Day, 2022, after his initial police interview was played for the jury.

The accused teen pleaded not guilty to murder at the start of his trial on Monday.

In his police statement the boy, who was 15 at the time, told police that he had been speaking to Jayden earlier in the night about how Jayden wanted to move out of Cairns and get a job in Tully and said he was a “quiet boy”.

The boy said he had been drinking Bundaberg rum and cola cans that night but he remembered everything.

The boy told police he heard an argument out the front of the house after midnight and went to see what was going on.

He had seen “three boys holding knives” come up to another boy who took them all on at once, the court was told.

Seventeen-year-old Jayden Dau was killed after allegedly being stabbed at a Manoora street party in the early hours of New Year's Day, 2022.

He described one of the knives as “a pretty long life with a black handle”.

In his evidence to the court he testified everything he said to the police was true and told the court he saw the boy fighting the others knock one of the boys to the ground before he went to the other side of the street.

The boy said he began walking up the street when he heard a girl call for help.

“She said, ‘help boys’,” he said.

“That's when we ran up and we saw Jayden laying down.

“I didn’t see how he was stabbed but their was blood everywhere on his shirt, he was crying.

“We called an ambulance but they were taking too long so I waved down a car and told them to take him to the hospital.”

The boy told the court the three boys he said he saw with knives got into a car and drove away.

Family and friends of Jayden Dau outside the Cairns Courthouse.

During cross examination, defence counsel Tim Ryan suggested that the boy did not see all the boys with knives because it was dark and they were rushing the other boy.

“I did see them, it’s instinct, if they are holding a knife you have to watch them,” the boy responded.

Mr Ryan suggested there was a lot going on and he could be mistaken to which the boy replied: “I saw them, 100 per cent.”

In the second day of the trial another teenager also told police in an interview played to the jury he had seen the accused with a knife.

“The big boy was carrying the knife then the little lad was saying pass me the knife, then he pointed it at me,” the teen said in his police interview.

He then told police he heard the accused saying “who wants to get stabbed?”

Two other boys who left the party with the accused after the brawl also gave evidence in court.

They were involved in the fight with the boy but maintained that they never had any weapons during the night.

They told the court they had gotten into a fight with the other boy with one of them being knocked out momentarily before they got into a car and left.

None of the teenagers were able to confirm they saw the accused specifically during the fight or the moment Jayden was stabbed.

The trial continues with further testimony from witnesses.

Originally published as Jayden Dau murder trial: Witnesses describe lead up to fatal brawl at New Years party