‘If the cops were there then it wouldn’t have happened’: Brother of stabbed teen

Internal police documents reveal authorities knew there was a likelihood Sunshine train station would be the scene of knife crime, long before Staughton College student Pasawm Lyhym was killed.

Victoria Police knew Sunshine railway station was a hot spot for knife crime months before a 16-year-old schoolboy was killed in a machete attack.

An internal police document from January, released to the Herald Sun under freedom of information laws, revealed a spate of weapons offences had occurred at the station and warned “there is a likelihood that violence or disorder will recur”.

Staughton College student Pasawm Lyhym, 16, was in May killed in front of dozens of horrified onlookers, including his own younger cousin.

The document reveals there were ten serious weapons offences at the station in the year between January 2022 and January 2023.

Officers also seized 18 knives, three machetes and a screwdriver in that period.

The report was compiled by the force’s Transit Safety Division as part of an application to support a weapons search blitz at the Sunshine Lunar New Year Festival in February.

CCTV footage captured the moment a knife-wielding person headed for the train station. Picture: Supplied

A police operation at Sunshine station. Picture: Supplied

Assistant Commissioner Dean McWhirter approved the Lunar New Year Festival weapons search operation because he was satisfied “violence or disorder involving weapons had occurred in this area more than once in the last 12 months”.

The operation resulted in 14 arrests, three of which were for weapons offences.

Pasawm’s elder brother, Mawn, told the Herald Sun his brother might not have been killed if there was a more regular police presence at Sunshine station’s nearby bus precinct, where the machete attack unfolded.

“They (police) were there after my brother got stabbed. If they were there as soon as it happened, if the cops were there then it wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

“If police knew that it was a dangerous area then there should have been cops or security, not just at the station, but at the bus stop as well.

“They don’t know what’s going on down there.

“If they do that, then you never know, maybe my brother wouldn’t have been killed.”

Mr Lyhym said another major problem was the ease with which young people, including his brother’s alleged attackers, could obtain weapons in the first place.

“If they can’t buy a drink under the age of 18, how can they carry machetes? That’s riskier than drinking,” he said.

“I was shocked that they had knives. How can they sell weapons like this?”

The state government was this week in talks with Chief Commissioner Shane Patton over outlawing machetes across the state, with Mr Patton conceding knife crime was a “significant issue” for police.

Pasawm Lyhym with his brother Mawn in one of their last pictures together. Picture: Supplied

Tributes are laid for Pasawm Lyhym. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Mr Lyhym said he and his family supported the proposed ban.

“We’ve never experienced anything like this. We just always ask, ‘Why?’,” he said.

“It will hit me being home alone that we lost someone that we loved.

“He was the youngest one in our family as well, everyone loved him so it has been emotional for everyone, his family and even all his friends.

“Today, it’s someone else’s family, but one day it could be yours if we don’t deal with it.”

Currently, selling a controlled weapon such as a knife to anyone under the age of 18 is an offence, which carries penalties of up to a year in prison and a $23,000 fine.

The report that raised the alarm about the danger of knife crime at Sunshine station reveals an armed offender pulled a machete on a Victoria Police protective services officer in September 2022.

There were also a series of muggins, with armed offenders targeting people for an electric scooter, mobile phones and money.

Victoria Police’s Transit Safety Division Inspector Fiona Curnow said the police search at Sunshine Station was designed to boost community safety by driving down the number of people carrying weapons.

“In an ideal world, we would never have to run these operations, but the reality is a small number of people do choose to carry weapons,” she said.

“This is about reminding those people that we simply won’t tolerate weapons on the streets.”

Community activist and Africause chief executive Dr Berhan Ahmed said fears over weapon attacks had been a concern for residents in the western suburbs for several years.

“It is very serious,” he said.

Internal documents show police were aware of dangers at the station. Picture: David Crosling

The family of Mr Lyhym say a greater police presence may have saved him. Picture: David Crosling

Sunshine station, near the bus stops. Picture: David Crosling

“This has to be looked at broadly, not just narrowly as a police issue.

“This has to have a holistic approach in working with the communities.

“The communities know the problem because it matters to them.”

Shadow Police Minister Brad Battin said the Allan government had ignored growing concerns around knife crime until this week’s discussions on banning machetes.

“Labor cannot continue to ignore the increasing knife crime reports or more people will die,” he said.

The state government has invested $4.5 billion in community safety and youth programs in a bid to drive down youth offending.

A Victorian Government spokeswoman said: “Our thoughts remain with Pasawm’s loved ones as they deal with his loss. Violence of any kind is unacceptable, and Victoria Police continues to take targeted action on these tragic incidents”.

18-year-old Ngor Dao earlier this month pleaded guilty to charges of affray and intentionally causing injury stemming from his role in the Pasawm’s death.

A 17-year-old boy was charged with murder and two other boys, also aged 17, were charged with affray.

The cases of the three underage offenders remain before the Children’s Court.