Brawl that left Alex Ioane dead sparked by postcode rivalry

The details surrounding the senseless murder of innocent teenager Alex Ioane at a Sydney house party can be revealed for the first time.

One teen has been jailed for murder after a violent postcode clash at a wild house party claimed the life of an innocent young man who had no links to any Sydney youth gangs.

Disturbing details surrounding 19-year-old Alex Ioane’s senseless killing have been laid bare for the first time as a group of teens now stare down the possibility of years in jail.

It’s a place at least one of the young men feared they would end up in the months after Alex Ioane’s death, according to a raft of intercepted calls and text messages.

Those details have been crucial in securing justice for Alex’s family in a case that centred around a chaotic party full of rowdy teenagers, and an ongoing postcode war.

Mr Ioane, 18, was killed after he was brutally punched, kicked and stomped on after a fight at an Ingleburn house party spilt out onto the street in 2019.

It can now be revealed one of the teens involved in the attack, Tafuna Taumalolo, was part of the “Claymore Boys” gang - affiliated with “Southwest crew” - and believed Ioane was part of the “Cabra Boys” gang from Cabramatta.

Alex Ioane, 18, was bashed to death during a fight at a house party in Ingleburn in Sydney's south west. Picture: Facebook

Mr Ioane had no gang affiliations whatsoever and died alone on the grounds of a nearby school.

All of the young men involved in his death have now been sentenced, or pleaded guilty to their role in the fatal attack.

Tafuna pleaded guilty to Mr Ioane’s murder, an was last years sntenced to at least 14 years and one month in prison.

According to documents tendered to the NSW Supreme Court, Tafuna, two teens boys known only as ET and ST, Suliasi Tuamalolo and Mateaki Taumalolo were all at the party when the organisers decided to shut it down and kicked everyone out.

After they were ejected from the home, guests spilled out onto the street, where Tafuna could be heard yelling “F**k Cabra” and “South West on top” before further fight broke out among the 80 guests.

Tafuna could again be heard referencing the Claymore Boys and marking it as their territory - screaming “F**k Cabra, this is Ingleburn, this is our area.”

He then initiated the attack on Mr Ioane, squaring up and punching him, before brothers Mateaki and Suliasi joined him - punching him several times while he stood in front of them.

An outnumbered Ioane tried to push back against the, before Tafuna dealt a major blow that knocked him to the ground face first.

Tafuna Taumalolo was found guilty of killing Alex Ioane. Picture: Facebook

As he lay on the ground, Tafuna and ST kicked on and stomped on him as he lay on the ground unconscious.

ET also ran to join in, and began using a baseball bat to hit “in a downward motion near Mr Ioane”. According to the documents, he did not hit Mr Ioane during the melee.

As Mr Ioane was attacked, a woman ran to his aid and threw herself over his body , in an attempt to protect him, however, she was kicked in the head as a result.

Other partygoers tried to intervene, but many fled, fearful of being caught up in the attack. Some managed to roll him on his side, noticing he was choking, as blood ran from his mouth.

Frightened neighbours called triple-0 for help, with paramedics arriving around 9.45pm.

A decision was made to move him to a nearby school yard, with paramedics concerned over the hostile crowd.

Tragically, Mr Ioane was pronounced dead at 10.45pm, after he went into cardiac arrest.

His death set-off a months-long investigation to hunt down those involved in his death - some of whom tried to destroy evidence linked to the case.

What police would find, through phone taps and text messages, was that those implicated were scared about what they had done.

“I think I killed him. Like I think I’m going to jail,” Tafuna texted someone. “I just feel so sorry for Alex, I can’t believe he died.”

The messages saw other partygoers discuss “someone from Cabra” being “jumped”.

Flowers are placed next to the road where Alex Ioane was beaten to death during a brawl in Ingleburn. Picture: Richard Dobson

“Alex? I thought he was from Campbelltown,” one text read.

“Nah he’s from Cabra,” another person responded. A statement which was in fact untrue, according to the document, with MR Ioane not involved or linked to any Sydney youth gang.

Tafuna and ST burnt the clothes they were wearing following the incident, while Suliasi told his brother Mateaki to delete his social media accounts after Campbelltown posted a photo of him on Facebook, advising the public they were looking for him.

“No one walks away from this matter with a smile on their face, especially in the circumstances where a young boy has lost his life,” The Taumalolos’ laywer Rayan Kadadi said.

On May 26, 2019, Tafuna was arrested nd charged with murder, which he was sentenced to a total of 18 years jail for in 2021.

In August 2020, ET was arrested and charged with murder, while Mateaki and Suliasi were also charged with murder in the months following.

The trio pleaded not guilty to the charges and faced a trial in the NSW Supreme Court, however, after two weeks into the 10-week trial, each pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of affray.

Meanwhile, ST pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter.

They all remain on remand in custody, despite ET and Suliasi applying for bail before a judge this week.

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