Gang members jailed for brutal attacks on teens at South Brisbane, Milton

Security was bolstered in a Brisbane court as three gang members were sentenced over a pair of brutal bashings in inner Brisbane.

Multiple people attend Brisbane Supreme court for the sentencing of Dut Acot, Yoram Banyen and Lasender Sheriff. Picture: John Gass/NCA NewsWire

Teenage thugs congratulated each other and shouted ‘we f***** that n*****, he’s dead” as they fled from a Milton apartment where they had filmed themselves violently beating a 17-year-old boy as he slept, leaving him with lifelong brain injuries.

Ten members of the Southside Drillas gang were involved in the sickening gang attack on the sleeping boy whom they continued to stomp, kick and punch even after he was unconscious, leaving him in a coma fighting for life.

Crown prosecutor James Bishop told Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday that the gang, aged between 15 and 19 at the time, was captured on camera celebrating the unprovoked attack in August 2020.

It came only hours after members of the same gang had violently beaten another 17-year-old boy in an attack at South Brisbane where the boy’s head was kicked so hard it went through a wall.

A girl filmed the attack laughing and commenting “they’re going to kill him bro” before posting it to social media.

Three of the young men faced court for sentencing on Monday, with security bolstered around the courtroom where the men were separated from one another into singular docks.

Yoram Banyen and Lasender Sheriff each pleaded guilty to involvement in the two attacks at South Brisbane and Milton.

A third offender, Dut Acot, pleaded guilty to involvement in the Milton attack only.

Mr Bishop said during the first incident at South Brisbane, the men had gone uninvited to a house party where a girl associated with the Southside Drillas let them in.

When they arrived, there was an attack upon a 17-year-old boy, in which he was punched and kicked and at one point struck so hard that his head went through a wall.

One of the girls affiliated with the gang filmed the attack while laughing, at one point commenting “they’re going to kill kim bro”.

When they were warned of the arrival of police, they dragged the unconscious victim on to the patio where they continued to assault him.

Lasender Sheriff

The court heard Sheriff was involved in physically attacking the boy and Banyen was charged over his presence and common intention.

Acot discouraged the attack and was not charged with the offending.

Later the three men and at least seven juveniles went uninvited to another party at Milton where they found a 17-year-old boy asleep in his bed.

That victim was beaten violently, with offenders continuing to stomp on his head even after he was unconscious.

Mr Bishop said the victim was left with lifelong brain injuries as a result.

Banyen, Sheriff and Acot did not physically attack the victim but were all present and were charged over their common intention, having been well aware of the plan to inflict violence.

Sheriff and Banyen each pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and malicious act with intent and Acot pleaded guilty to a single charge of malicious act with intent.

Sheriff, a promising sportsman who had previously been in the Broncos’ youth development squad, had only turned 18 six days before the attacks.

He was responsible for striking some of the blows against the first victim.

He was sentenced to five years and five months’ imprisonment, with parole eligibility on June 29 this year. He has already served 528 days in custody.

Banyen, 21, who has been in custody for 508 days was given a head sentence of six years with parole eligibility on September 22 this year, after he has served one-third of that time in jail.

Judge David Kent KC said the offender, who moved to Australia from Sudan when he was aged six, did not physically strike blows in either incident.

Twenty-year-old Acot, also from Sudan, did not physically strike either of the complainants and had been sympathetic to the first victim, trying to intervene in the assault.

The former private school student was on parole for rape at the time of the offending and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment with parole eligibility on November 3, 2023.

His time in custody did not count as time served because the offending breached his parole.

Supporters of all three men had to be warned about disrespectful and loud behaviour in court, with Judge Kent reminding them they were not in a pub.

Multiple people attend Brisbane Supreme court for the sentencing of Dut Acot, Yoram Banyen and Lasender Sheriff. Picture: John Gass/NCA NewsWire