Three men accused of stabbing murder of Raymond Harris plead not guilty

Diners and holiday makers witnessed a gang of young men allegedly murder a Queensland father during a bloody brawl that lasted less than a minute, a court has heard.

Gold Coast stabbing victim Raymond Harris.

A gang of young men armed with a 26cm knife and a 18cm knife allegedly brutally murdered a Queensland father during a bloody brawl caught on CCTV that lasted less than a minute on the Glitter Strip, a court has heard.

In her opening address to a Supreme Court jury on Tuesday in the trial of three men accused of murdering Raymond Harris, Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Kelso said that Harris died within minutes after he was stabbed just once in the abdomen, slicing his liver and stomach.

She said that Jye Sebastian Webb-Italia, now 22, fatally injured Harris outside the Surfers Paradise Beer Garden on Cavill Ave at 9pm on September 23, 2020.

The alleged murder was witnessed by several diners and holiday makers with one mum buying ice-creams, and another reported hearing a man yell “he has got a f***ing machete!”, the court heard.

Co-accused Kyle Jack Webb, 28, and Jarod James Miller, 25 are charged with murder on the basis that they allegedly “aided or encouraged” Webb-Italia to fatally stab Harris, Acting Justice Ann Lyons told the jury.

“You will see Mr Webb-Italia pull out a large black knife and he and Mr Webb lunge towards Mr Harris,” Ms Kelso told the jury, describing CCTV footage that would be played during the trial.

“Mr Webb-Italia armed with that large black knife, takes it and plunges it into Mr Harris’ stomach, fatally injuring him,” she said.

“Mr Webb-Italia and Mr Webb, have Mr Harris cornered effectively between a bin and a tree,” she said.

This came minutes after Webb was described by witnesses as punching Harris to the head as Harris is pushed backwards towards a garbage bin.

Miller also carried a large silver-bladed knife and stood behind Webb and Webb-Italia as they assaulted Harris, Ms Kelso told the jury.

She said that seconds before he was fatally injured Harris had been “casually” walking toward the group of men, all with hoods pulled over their heads, that included Webb-Italia and Webb.

A fourth man, Zaynn Stevannes Bekker, 35, entered his not guilty plea to a charge of being an accessory after the fact to either murder or accessory after the fact to manslaughter by assisting Webb to enable him to escape punishment.

Harris was left laying on the road, the court heard.

Ms Kelso said the off-duty paramedic who treated Harris will tell the court that Harris could not talk or move because his injuries were so serious and he was unable to give Harris “meaningful” medical help.

She said that the fight began because Webb had a grievance with Harris who was upset because his friends had been “robbed” by a man.

Harris - who had been drinking with friends at the Surfers Paradise Beer Garden - had exchanged Facebook messages with Webb via an intermediary, the court heard.

On Tuesday Webb-Italia entered a guilty plea to the charge of manslaughter, but not guilty to murder, but the prosecution would not accept his guilty plea to the lesser charge.

The other co-accused entered please of not guilty.

Defence barrister Tony Kimmins told the court that Webb-Italia told police in his interview: “I would never want to take another man’s life”.

Justice Lyons told the jury that the trial is expected to run for at least two weeks and possibly into a third week.

More than 40 witnesses are expected to be called to give evidence.