Acacia Ridge soccer assault: Four sentenced for armed bashing

A savage assault at a Brisbane soccer field in which a man was beaten with hammers and bats was the final act in a three-stage battle that included a Zillmere melee in which a teenager died.

A savage attack in which a man was beaten with hammers and bats following the conclusion of a soccer tournament on Brisbane’s southside was part of a rolling series of gang-related battles which saw an alleged murder at its height.

Four men, Deng Sebit Arou Kur, 26, of Redbank Plains; Abdulrahman Mohamed Rage, 24, of Calamvale; Liec Alapayo Manyang, 19, of Dakabin; and Omot James Omot, 20, of Stafford, were sentenced in Brisbane District Court on Thursday for their vicious assault on Charles Amalu, 21, at Acacia Ridge on October 4 last year.

All pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company, while all bar Rage also pleaded guilty to common assault.

Omot and Rage also pleaded guilty to affray and going armed in public so as to cause fear.

Crown prosecutor Matt Le Grand told the court the attack on Mr Amalu, which occurred at the Mortimer Road Park Sport and Recreation Precinct about 4.20pm, was the denouement of a rolling series of battles between rival gangs.

It began the previous month at Redbank Plains Town Square, on September 8, where a person was bashed, Mr Le Grand said.

This led to a wild all-in battle at Zillmere on September 13, in which 19-year-old Girum Mekonnen was allegedly murdered by a group of 13 males.

Abdulrahman Mohamed Rage leaves the District Court in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Mr Le Grand said the Acacia Ridge attack was retribution for thar subsequent incident, with Manyang telling Mr Amalu, “Your little brother jumped my cousin,” a reference to the Zillmere affray.

According to Mr Le Grand, the victim was sitting in the back seat of a friend’s car when Manyang, Omot, Kur and others approached the vehicle at the conclusion of the tournament.

The group requested Mr Amalu leave the vehicle for a “talk”, but he refused, fearing physical violence.

His friend’s keys were then snatched from the vehicle, preventing escape.

Manyang then opened the rear door and punched Mr Amalu several times in the face, the court heard.

Mr Amalu fled the vehicle and sought shelter with his coach and tournament organisers back towards the fields.

Two vehicle loads of offenders, including Rage, then arrived and the larger group approached Mr Amalu.

Several men began punching and kicking Mr Amalu, before an offender approached him from behind and struck him in the eye with a hammer, causing him to crouch in pain.

An offender then struck Mr Amalu in the back with a baseball bat, the court heard, causing him to fall to the floor, where he continued to be punched and kicked.

Mr Le Grand told the court someone then produced a 30cm knife which was used to threaten Mr Amalu and bystanders.

The group of offenders then fled back to the vehicles, where Rage was seen handing out baseball bats and machetes to continue the attack while bystanders locked the victim in a shed.

The group then returned to the shed and demanded entry to continue the assault, but brave bystanders resisted the entreaties leading the group to dissipate swiftly.

Mr Amalu was hospitalised with lacerations, swelling and bruising, the court heard.

Kur, Manyang and Omot were arrested later that day, while Rage was arrested the following day.

Rage was granted Supreme Court bail after spending 32 days remanded in pre-sentence custody, while the other three offenders have remained in custody since their arrest on October 4.

Mr Le Grand said the “onslaught” was “cowardly” as Mr Amalu was “completely outnumbered and withdrawing”.

The court heard Omot, Kur and Manyang, emigrated from Sudan, while Rage is from Kenya originally.

All bar Rage are Australian citizens.

Deng Kur, 20, leaving Brisbane Magistrates Court in 2016. He was charged with robbery with violence in company, at South Bank.

Manyang and Rage had no criminal history, Omot had a limited criminal history, while Kur had a terrible history littered with offences of assault for which he had received multiple custodial sentences.

Kur was on parole at the time of the current offending, while Omot was on probation.

Judge Michael Byrne QC said all four offenders, regardless of the exact role they played in the frightening assault, were united by a “common purpose” of violence.

Manyang was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with immediate court-ordered parole, taking into account the 383 days he has served on remand.

Manyang will not be released on Wednesday due to his pre-sentence remand on other charges.

Kur was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment cumulative on his existing sentence for which he was on parole for.

He will be eligible for parole on the current offences on January 3 next year.

Omot was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with immediate court-ordered parole, taking into account the 383 days he spent remanded in pre-sentence custody.

Rage was sentenced to two years’ probation and 200 hours’ community service, taking into account the 32 days he spent remanded in pre-sentence custody.