Two of the teens involved in the fatal stabbing of Jack Beasley learned their fate in court
Jack Beasley’s mum Belinda Beasley gave a heartbreaking statement to the two people convicted of killing her son. Here is her statement, in her words.
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On Friday Belinda Beasley, the mother of Jack Beasley, who was fatally stabbed in Surfers Paradise in 2019 gave a heart wrenching statement to the two people convicted of killing her son.
Here is what she said:
On Friday 13 December 2019 we received the most devastating news that a family can get that our beautiful 17-year-old son Jack had been killed at the hands of another.
You have taken away Jack’s life and ruined so many others from the choices that you made that night and for what?
That is the answer we will never know.
Why it was just so senseless and in that one moment you destroyed so many peoples lives.
Jack was a son, a brother, a grandson, a great grandson, a nephew, a cousin and friend to so many.
Jack was a cheeky fun loving easy going kid that loved life, his family and his friends so much. Jack was kind, so very loyal and protective, compassionate, hard working and so much more.
We constantly think of Jack’s last moments that day it’s something that will never leave our minds.
Seeing Jack’s lifeless body, touching him and feeling how cold he was, feeling the
stitches all over his body this is something that is imprinted in our minds and will haunt us for the rest of our lives.
One thing that I can not get out of my mind is when I arrived at the hospital, is hearing the words “they had been performing CPR on Jack from the scene in Surfers Paradise to the hospital and he has been rushed up to surgery” every time I hear a siren or see an ambulance I go right back to that night you destroyed our lives and took our beautiful boys life.
You ran away like cowards and left Jack and (Jack’s friend) to die on the footpath with not a
care in the world high-fiving each other.
What sort of people are you?
I have had a few dreams of Jack they are so real I see his beautiful face with that smile, I hear his voice and his laugh and he gives me the biggest hug then I wake up and realise that it’s not real and that we are still living in this nightmare and will until the day we die.
This is our life now a living nightmare.
All we have are memories of our beautiful boy we don’t get to see his gorgeous smile, hear his infectious laugh, watch him grow up, finish his apprenticeship, have kids, travel and so
much more.
You took this away from Jack.
The memories we do have that should be filled with happiness are now filled with sadness because Jack is gone and we know we are never going to make anymore memories with him.
Brett and I will never be the same and struggle on a daily basis to function.
I see the constant pain in Jack’s big brothers eyes and what you have taken from him, watching Mitch struggle and knowing we can’t bring back Jack and fix it for him this just
breaks our hearts even more.
As brothers they were close and had so many plans together.
The pain you have brought to our family is indescribable.
You didn’t just kill Jack that day you killed our entire family and we are all just surviving. Every day we wake up it is a constant reminder of what Jack is missing out
on and what you have taken from us.
The things you have taken from our family are inconceivable and I truly hope one day you understand the ramifications of what you have done to Jack and so many other people.
There is a trail of other victims
* Myself, Brett and Mitch and our entire family
* our friends
* Jack’s friends that were there that night the trauma you have caused them and their families is life changing and unforgivable
* Jacks friends that weren’t there the loss they have suffered
* complete strangers that helped try and save Jack that night
* witnesses that saw everything unfold including children
* first responders
And the list goes on ….
Imagine a loved one of yours being taken from you in a senseless act of violence.
This is our life for the rest of our lives.
To lose a child in the way we lost Jack altered our lives forever as the pain never ever goes away and will be with us until we take our last breath.
You will get to live your life and will get to
* turn 18, 21 and all those milestone birthdays
* get married, have kids
* go on holidays with family and friends
And so much more…. you have robbed Jack and us of any of this and destroyed our family.
Your actions on that night and being a juvenile is no excuse everyone knows right from wrong.
Your choices that night took my beautiful boys life and that is unforgivable.
I hope you are reminded constantly of the complete devastation you have caused our family, Jack’s friends and of the innocent life you took or had a part in taking.
Jack Beasley killer’s history as an armed robber
A youth was on bail for armed robbery the night he started the brawl that killed Jack Beasley in December 2019, it can be revealed.
A sentencing hearing in the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Friday was told the then 17-year-old threatened a 16-year-old at the Helensvale train station in June 2019, just six months before Jack’s death.
He claimed to have a shank and demanded money. The 16-year-old handed over $135.
The youth was granted bail after Jack’s death in June 2020.
Just six weeks later he was with a group in Kuraby when they threatened and assaulted a 22-year-old rideshare driver before stealing their car.
In April he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Jack Beasley and two counts of grievous bodily harm.
Now 20, he was on Friday given a seven-year head sentence and will be eligible for parole on August 5 next year.
In sentencing him, Justice Soraya Ryan said: “You were actively involved in the fight when it ended,” she said.
“You heard the impact of Jack’s death on family. I hope you carry his mother’s words with you for the rest of your life.”
Crown prosecutor Todd Fuller took the court through the man’s extensive criminal history which included acts of violence as early as 13.
He had previously done two stints in juvenile detention.
The youth was the one to start the brawl with the group by pushing Jack.
Jack retaliated by flicking a cigarette in the teens’ face. The fight escalated from there.
Mr Fuller said on the night of Jack’s death the 17-year-old “was aware (the 15-year-old) was in possession of a knife” and “took a lead role in what was to occur”.
“His actions were impulsive, reckless and objectively dangerous,” he said.
Mr Fuller said the guilty plea was an admission he knew that death or serious injury was a probable consequence of the fight.
Defence barrister David Funch, instructed by Vered Turner Lawyers, said the teen had a difficult childhood and suffered from mental health issues which were now medicated.
He described him as someone of “low average intellect”, “significant history of drug use” and well on the way to institutionalisation.
Emotions were high at the end of the hearing. A Beasley supporter was heard to yell: “Your son’s a murderer.”
The Beasley family did not stop to talk to media when they left court.
Knife-wielding teen sentenced for Jack Beasley’s death
A 17-year-old convicted of the murder of Parkwood teen Jack Beasley has been sentenced to 10 years’ jail.
Only 15 when he wielded the knife, the boy will serve at least seven years, it was revealed during sentencing in the Supreme Court in Brisbane was told on Friday.
Another youth has been found guilty of manslaughter.
It was alleged a group of five boys was in Surfers Paradise on December 13, 2019 when Parkwood teen Jack was fatally stabbed near the Surfers Paradise IGA. 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 played repeatedly to the court in May during the judge-only trial, a group of teens is seen running from the scene immediately after the fight.
The group of five was aged between 15 and 18 at the time. The four youngest cannot be named for legal reasons.
The 15-year-old wielded the knife and is seen in the CCTV footage stabbing Jack’s friend first before stabbing Jack.
Now 17, he pleaded guilty on May 9 to murder and two counts of committing a malicious act with intent.
The teen who started the brawl by pushing Jack pleaded guilty in April to manslaughter and two counts of grievous bodily harm.
Jack retaliated by flicking a cigarette in the teen’s face. The fight escalated from there.
Ma-Mal-J Toala and two teens – aged 16 at the time of Jack’s death – were acquitted in July of manslaughter and two counts of grievous bodily harm. They had maintained their innocence during a week-and-a-half long, judge-only trial held in May.
In relation to the boy convicted of Jack’s murder, Mr Fuller said he had a chaotic family life and had recently moved to Queensland after being assaulted in Sydney.
He said that assault led to “carrying a knife in public for self-protection”.
A pre-sentence report given to the court also found the then-15-year-old had ADHD and struggled to control impulse.
Mr Fuller said during the fight the 15-year-old stabbed Jack’s friend first.
As Jack was pulling another person off a friend, he stabbed Jack.
“He was unable to defend himself against an unexpected blow,” Mr Fuller said.
The 15-year-old’s defence barrister James Benjamin, instructed by Legal Aid Queensland, read out an apology written by the teen.
“There are no words at this point in time that are going to take away my actions of that night.”
“I cannot make my family or that family feel better.”
In the note he said he understood there were no words that could help and that he took responsibility for his actions.
“I understand that I may never be forgiven but I hope one day that I will be. I am regretful and I am sorry from the bottom of my heart,” he wrote.
Mr Benjamin said the teen was a young man who had to live with the consequences of his actions.
The 15-year-old also asked to address the court, where he mumbled while giving the statement, and some parts were not audible.
“I’m very, very sorry for what I have done,” he said.
During sentencing, Justice Soraya Ryan told the teen convicted of murder that from viewing the footage she found he was “simply waiting for your moment”.
“You had it all over member’s of Jack Beasley’s group,” she said.
“They were armed and you had a knife.”
She described his actions as that of a “coward”.
“You weren’t scared, you weren’t under any real threat for either of them … neither was your brother,’ she said.
“You were waiting for your moment to get engaged in the fight … it was absolutely senseless violence”.
She described the entire impact as “profoundly tragic”.
‘YOU RAN LIKE COWARDS, LEFT JACK TO DIE’: MUM CONFRONTS ACCUSED
EARLIER: Jack Beasley’s mother has confronted two teens who pleaded guilty for their involvement in her son’s death.
An emotional Belinda Bealsey gave a heartbreaking victim impact statement to the Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday.
Parkwood teen Jack Beasley was fatally stabbed outside the Surfers Paradise IGA on December 13, 2019.
Mrs Beasley gave a five-minute statement and spoke through tears.
“You ran away like cowards and left Jack to die on the footpath without a care in the world … what sort of people are you?”, she asked.
It was alleged a group of five boys was in Surfers Paradise the night Jack was killed. 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, played repeatedly to the court in May during the judge-only trial, a group of teens is seen running from the scene immediately after the fight.
The five youths were aged between 15 and 18 at the time. The four youngest cannot be named for legal reasons.
The 15-year-old wielded the knife and is seen in the CCTV footage stabbing Jack’s friend first before stabbing Jack.
The youngest – now 17 – pleaded guilty on May 9 to murder and two counts of committing a malicious act with intent.
A 17-year-old was the one to start the brawl by pushing Jack.
In April, the now 20-year-old pleaded guilty to manslaughter and two counts of grievous bodily harm.
Jack retaliated by flicking a cigarette in the teen’s face. The fight escalated from there.
Ma-Mal-J Toala and two teens – aged 16 at the time of Jack’s death – were acquitted in July of manslaughter and two counts of grievous bodily harm. They had maintained their innocence during a week-and-a-half long Judge only trial held in May.
On Friday, Mrs Beasley described Jack as a “cheeky” teen who was loyal, protective, compassionate and hardworking.
“You had taken away Jack’s life and ruined so many others from your actions that night,” she said.
“And there is one question we will always ask and that is why.
“It was so senseless.”
Mrs Beasley spoke about how she still has dreams about Jack but wakes to find herself still in the “living nightmare” with Jack gone.
She said her entire family was struggling.
“You didn’t just kill Jack that day, you killed our entire family,” she said.
Mrs Beasley told the pair she hoped the boys understood the ramifications of their actions.
“Your choice that night took our beautiful boy’s life and that is unforgivable,” she said.
“I hope you’re reminded constantly of the complete devastation you’ve caused our family.”
The sentencing hearing continues and is expected to wrap up on Friday afternoon.
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