Angus Beaumont stabbing: Court hears murder-accused teens ‘slapped hands together’ and ran away

Two boys charged with murdering a teenager at Redcliffe in 2020 slapped hands, as if congratulating each other, and ran off, after one fatally stabbed the 15-year-old who had been trying to help a friend get away from the pair, a court has heard.

Two boys charged with murdering a teenager at Redcliffe in 2020 slapped hands, as if congratulating each other and ran off, after one fatally stabbed the 15-year-old, a prosecutor told a court.

Angus Beaumont died after a knife blade penetrated 14 centimetres into his chest and went through his heart, the Supreme Court heard during the murder trial.

The boy, now 16, who is accused of stabbing Angus Beaumont, and the other boy, now 17, have each pleaded not guilty to his murder at Redcliffe on March 13, 2020.

The jury retired to consider the verdicts at 12.40pm on Wednesday and will resume deliberations on Thursday.

If they find the teenagers, who were both 14 at the time, not guilty of murder, the jurors can consider an alternate charge of manslaughter.

In his closing address to the jury, Crown prosecutor Christopher Cook said Angus Beaumont had been trying to help a friend get away from the two accused, whom he alleged were trying to rob the other boy.

He said the pair attacked Angus on two fronts, before one stabbed him in the heart.

“Moments after (one boy) … stabs Angus Beaumont … his mate slaps his hand … they congratulate each other and then they are off,” Mr Cook told the jury.

He said earlier the two 14-year-olds had bought cannabis from Angus’s friend at a skate park, but they pursued that to Anzac Ave, Redcliffe, knowing he had more drugs and knives.

The jurors were shown a series of CCTV video images from the night.

Mr Cook said Angus ended up on Anzac Ave and decided to take a stand, to get the defendants away from his friend.

He said Angus, who had knuckle dusters on one hand and was given a knife by his friend soon before the confrontation with the other two, did not initially raise his knife.

He said when Angus took three steps, telling the boys to “f … off’’, the knife in his hand was by his side, and he then took three steps back.

Angus Beaumont had been trying to help a friend get away from the two accused, whom the prosecution alleged were trying to rob the other boy. Picture Supplied

Mr Cook said there was a fight, Angus hit out at one of the boys, who also had knives, but missed and by the time he raised his hand with the knife the other boy had already pounced.

“They attacked him, two on one and fought together and as Angus Beaumont’s attention was on one of them, the other boy stabbed him,’’ Mr Cook said.

“He went to stab him again, Angus fell to the ground, they killed him.’’

Mr Cook said the boy who stabbed Angus intended to cause at least grievous bodily harm and there was no legal reason to justify the killing.

Doug Wilson, defence counsel for the boy accused of stabbing Angus, said the video footage did not show knives in the two boys’ hands at the time of the altercation.

He said the video showed when Angus kicked one of the boys and brought his arm up, with the knife towards the boy, his client stepped in with his knife and delivered the blow.

Mr Wilson said his client was a victim of an unprovoked attack, after the earlier dispute with the boy who sold the drugs had de-escalated and the boys were not trying to rob him.

He said there was a defence of using reasonable force to defend yourself or another.

Jacob Robson, defence counsel for the other boy, said the stabbing happened so quickly and his client could not have known his friend would decide to use his knife on Angus.

Mr Robson said the violence that day was not about an armed robbery but about the seven seconds from when Angus Beaumont took the knife from his friend until he was stabbed.

He said a 14-year-old kid panicked when Angus appeared, wielding a large knife.