‘Where are your morals?’: Parents of fatally stabbed teen Jack Beasley slam knife retailers

The parents of fatally stabbed Jack Beasley say a new law that could have saved their son will likely prevent the deaths of other children at the hands of youth crime. Read the full story

The parents of fatally stabbed teen Jack Beasley say a new law preventing underage children from buying bladed weapons will likely save lives and other families from the deep heartache they have endured.

Speaking to media, Father Brett Beasely also took aim at retailers who sell knives and bladed weapons to children, questioning their morals.

“It’s ridiculous and it’s disgusting. I don’t know why any retailer anywhere would want to sell a knife or a tomahawk to a child,” he said.

“Where are you morals?”

Brett Beasley speaking at a press conference following the announcement of tighter knife and gel blaster laws. Photo: Regi Varghese

On Sunday, Police Minister Mark Ryan announced new legislation is in the pipeline that will introduce an age restriction on the sales of knives, bladed items like tomahawks and axes, and gel blasters.

It will also require retailers to keep bladed items like daggers, sickles and axes secured under lock and key at all times.

Minister Ryan said: “It’s about having another barrier to restricting people from obtaining dangerous items.”

It comes as police reveal more than 31,000 people were searched using “wanding” under Jack’s Law, with 350 weapons discovered.

Jack Beasley, 17, was fatally stabbed by a 15-year-old boy weilding a knife during a confrontation in Surfers Paardise in 2019. Picture: Supplied

Brett Beasely, Jack’s father, said: “It’s huge, it’s absolutely huge.

“We’ve been pushing for this since 2021. We need to stop these knife crimes and in particular, we need to stop these retailers selling these knives.”

In 2019, Mr Beasely’s 17-year-old son was stabbed in the chest when he and his friends were confronted near the Surfers Paradise IGA by another group of teens.

At the time, CCTV captured a 15-year-old boy stabbing Jack in the chest killing him.

That boy has since been convicted of Jack’s murder ans sentenced to 10 years’ jail and must serve at least seven years.

The shocking incident prompted the state to introduce the wanding laws named in Jack’s honour and now the underage sales laws.

Mark Ryan, Minister for Police and Corrective Services announces new draft legislation that will prevent the sale of knives, bladed weapons and gel blasters to underaged kids. Photo: Regi Varghese

Speaking at Sunday’s announcement, Jack’s parents said if the new law helps save “even one life then it will have done its job”.

Mother Belinda Beasley said: “We’re not the only family, there’s so many other families and so many other victims out there.

“So this law is for all of us – it’s for all the victims. No community wants children running around with knives in their pockets.”

Minister Ryan said under the current draft, the sale of knives and bladed to underaged children will carry criminal sanctions and that consequences will also be drafted for underaged children caught using fake IDs.

He added: “But those offences will be made clear once we introduce the legislation.”

Originally published as ‘Where are your morals?’: Parents of fatally stabbed teen Jack Beasley slam knife retailers