Their heartbreaking comments come after three of the five men accused of being involved in his death were acquitted in the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Thursday of any criminal responsibility for the knife violence which lead to his death.

Brett and Belinda Beasley were left “devastated” and “heartbroken” by the outcome.

But they are also determined for change.

“We are trying to get some legislation change,” Mrs Beasley said.

Mr Beasley added: “The juvenile justice system needs a massive shake up.”

The case involving his son’s death was an “opportunity to set an example”, he said.

“The justice system has let Jack down. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

“Jack got a life sentence. The outcome is a massive, massive kick in the guts for our family.”

It was alleged a group of five boys were in Surfers Paradise when Parkwood teen Jack was fatally stabbed near the Surfers Paradise IGA on December 13, 2019. One of Jack’s friends, also 17, was stabbed in the back and chest, leaving him with a punctured lung, it was alleged.

In CCTV footage of the incident, played repeatedly to the court during the Judge-only trial in May, the group of teens are seeing running from the scene immediately after the fight.

“They ran away (while) our boy to bleed to death on the ground,” he said.

“What do we get? We have got no justice.”

Mrs Beasley added: “They were juveniles but juveniles know what is right and what is wrong. It’s not as if they were nine.”

The group of five was aged between 15 and 18 at the time and the four youngest cannot be named for legal reasons.

Ma-Mal-J Toala and two teens – aged 16 at the time of Jack’s death – pleaded not guilty on May 16 to manslaughter and two counts of grievous bodily harm. Toala, who was 18 at the time of the stabbing, and the two teens were acquitted on Thursday.

Justice Soraya Ryan said in her reasons: “This trial was about whether any of the three defendants are to be held criminally responsible for the unexpected, fatal, knife violence of their companion.”

Justice Ryan said she was not satisfied that death or grievous bodily harm were “probable consequences” of a fight the group had planned.

She was not satisfied a then-15-year-old member of the group’s action in stabbing Jack and Ariki was a plan the three men acquitted also shared, she said.

“I was therefore not satisfied, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendants bore criminal responsibility for (the 15-year-old’s) unexpected knife violence, causing Jack’s death and Ariki’s injuries,” Justice Ryan said.

The youngest – now 17 – pleaded guilty on May 9 to murder and two counts of committing a malicious act with intent.

A second teen – now 19 – pleaded guilty in April to manslaughter and two counts of grievous bodily harm. The two teens who pleaded guilty will be sentenced at a later date.

Mr Beasley also expressed frustration at the prevalence of knife crime.

“How many more innocent children have got to die – not only children but innocent people have got to die at the hands of kids carrying weapons?” he asked.

“How many more before something gets done?”

Following Jack’s death the couple established the Jack Beasley Foundation to educate young people on the dangers of carrying knives and also for changes in laws and policing.

Their efforts in part helped lead to the establishment of the wanding trial in Surfers Paradise last year which saw police armed with handheld metal detectors to help search for knives.

Jack’s death was one of four fatal stabbings on the Gold Coast in a horror 18 months in 2019 and 2020.

The court was told during the trial in May that the accused group had made their way into Surfers Paradise from Logan using the heavy rail before getting on the tram to the Glitter Strip.

Two were spotted getting on the tram in the hours after Jack’s death.

Mr Beasley said: “We are still concentrating heavily on the ‘detect knives, save lives thing’ that we do and ‘live your life without a knife’.

“It’s just so important and I’d really love to see some sort of system, some sort of detection system being introduced at Helensvale train station.”

Mrs Beasley believes more metal detectors would be a deterrent from young teens carrying knives.

“Anything at train stations or whatever that there is some sort of deterrent to get kids when they are going out that they actually believe that ‘well okay, I might be caught with that’,” she said.

“It will make them think twice.”

Mr Beasley said the key was preventing the knives going into the Safe Night Precincts.

“I think that’s a bonus,” he said.

“You can’t get on an aeroplane carrying a knife, that’s a detection system. You can’t walk into the courts without going on a detection system so why are you allowed on trains.”

The Beasley said the trial had a devastating impact on them.

Mrs Beasley said through tears her initial reaction to the verdict was “devastated”.

Mr Beasley added: “It was heartbreaking. It was absolutely.”

They said it was not only them who were affected.

A number of Jack’s friends who were with him the night of his death were in tears at the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Thursday.

“They are not doing very well,” Mrs Beasley said.

“They are all devastated. They have to live it every day – just like we do.

“It’s just something that is always going to be with them. I just feel really sorry for them.

“They are young kids and they have to deal with a lot. They are only all 20.”

lea.emery@news.com.au