Teen stabbed schoolboy Pasawm Lyhym to death in retribution for a ‘slight’ against his mate

A 17-year-old who pleaded guilty to murdering student Pasawm Lyhym near Sunshine train station has been described as an “impressive young person” who acted “totally out of character”.

The funeral service for 16-year-old Pasawm Lyhym who was stabbed to death near Sunshine train station.

A “very good kid” has become a confessed murderer after he pleaded guilty to stabbing schoolboy Pasawm Lyhym to death in retribution for a “slight” against his mate.

The boy, 17, chased down Pasawm, 16, who tried in vain to block his killer with a shopping trolley before he was stabbed in the back in broad daylight in an attack witnessed by children heading home from school.

He pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday after accepting a sentence indication of 13 years jail with a minimum of eight years, which prosecutors flagged they may appeal.

The Herald Sun can reveal that the horror murder of Pasawm was a “retaliation” by the killer and his three school friends after a member of their group was chased by an unknown person wearing a face mask and carrying a knife on May 17, 2023.

Pasawm tried in vain to block his killer with a shopping trolley.

The next day, the four boys packed knives in their schoolbags and headed to Sunshine train station after the bell rang on May 18.

Wearing their school jumpers with nicknames displayed, the Supreme Court heard the four boys covered their faces and “affixed their eyes” upon Pasawm and his friends before “mayhem ensued”, and they chased them with knives as terrified children and adults scrambled out of the way.

The killer first chased one of Pasawm’s friends and stabbed him in the elbow before hurtling after Pasawm, who “tried to defend himself with a shopping trolley”.

When that failed, Pasawm took off with his attacker on his heels “brandishing this very long and dangerous knife” which he plunged twice into his victim, leaving a 14cm fatal blow in his back.

Pasawm was chased down by four boys who had knives packed in their schoolbags.

A witness said the killer used “such force the blade could have gone through him”, before he watched the attacker run to the bus stop gripping the murder weapon.

“I could see blood covering half the blade,” the witness said.

Justice Michael Croucher said the deadly attack – captured by countless CCTV cameras – showed “the folly” of “youth and immaturity” and “the spontaneous ill-thought through idea that you can rush around and stab someone and wander away”.

His Honour said there was a “level of stupidity” of the offender who suddenly covered his face in a heavily monitored area to commit the unprovoked attack while wearing a personalised school jumper.

“It’s hardly a stroke of genius,” he said.

Defence barrister Christopher Terry said his client, now 18, only accepted the sentence indication on the basis he intended to just to seriously injure Pasawm, not kill him.

Justice Croucher suggested if they went to trial, 12 jurors might “more readily accept” a murder verdict than the alternative of manslaughter given the “mood of the state at the moment when it comes to young people, knives, death”.

“It’s arguably a sad comment on the jury system, but it’s also I think a reality,” His Honour said.

“Juries reflect the community,” Mr Terry replied.

“The community has just seen a lot of this.”

The boy with no prior criminal history, who cannot be identified due to his young age, pleaded guilty to both Pasawm’s murder and to intentionally causing injury to his friend.

After he entered his pleas, his parents – who were sitting in the body of the court alongside his school principal – broke down in tears as their son, from the dock, repeatedly looked their way.

Character references from the boy’s teachers and principals spoke of an “impressive young person” who came from a family described as “almost the typical immigrant success story”.

Justice Croucher said his teachers had been left “dumbfounded that he’s ended up doing something like this”.

“Totally out of character, in their judgment, of what they know of this young person,” he said.

“It is plain that (the killer) is appalled at what has happened, and terribly regretful, not just for his own sake, but for the sake of the poor boy who was killed and his family, and the grief, the extreme grief, that they no doubt are suffering, and will continue to suffer probably for the rest of their lives, having lost a son, a sibling, a friend, in such horrible circumstances.”

Prosecutor Daniel Porceddu said the “low sentence” offered to the killer may be appealed by the OPP.

The boy will return to court for a pre-sentencing hearing in December.