‘We thought Australia was safe’: Dad shattered by son’s killings

A grieving father has told a court of his devastation after two of his sons were killed in separate stabbings months apart — saying he fled war-torn Sudan thinking Australia was a “haven”.

Machar Kot was killed in a stabbing in Melbourne’s CBD stabbing.

A grieving father whose two sons were killed in separate stabbings six months apart says his family escaped war-torn Sudan believing Australia was a “safe haven”.

James Makir, 26, appeared in the Supreme Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of his former school friend Kon Kot, 24, who was killed in a Hungry Jack’s car park in Melbourne’s west in late 2020.

Six months earlier, Mr Kot’s younger brother Machar Kot, 21, was fatally stabbed outside Oaks Melbourne in the CBD.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the boys’ father Antipas said he was shattered by the deaths of two of his children.

“We thought Australia was a safe haven for us but unfortunately we’re currently experiencing a lot of misfortunes,” he said.

“The death of my two sons has devastated my family here and back home.”

Another sibling, Anhial, said she was still coming to terms with the death of Machar when news broke Kon had also been killed.

Kon Kot.

“Imagine the feelings that ran through my body that Monday night when I received a call saying something had happened to my brother,” she wrote in her victim impact statement.

“I can’t really put into words how broken I am that he’s no longer here with us.

“The single actions of this person have tortured me in many ways.”

Makir, from Caroline Springs, was charged with murder but later pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Kon, an RMIT student, who was stabbed four times on December 21, 2020.

The former school friends had fallen out after Makir lost a pair of iPhone headphones that he had borrowed from another of Mr Kot’s siblings.

Mr Kot and a friend met Makir in a Hungry Jack’s car park in Caroline Springs to sort the dispute out.

But a fist fight broke out after Makir stood over Mr Kot and told him he would end up like his dead brother.

Mr Kot was stabbed in the chest during the fight and died at the scene.

Prosecutors conceded they could not prove Makir had introduced the knife and his lawyer, John Desmond, said Mr Kot threw the first punch.

“He was defending himself,” he said.

“The argument descended into a physical attack when the deceased threw the first punch.”

Mr Desmond said his client wanted to apologise to Mr Kot’s family who were friends of his own relatives.

“He could not believe he had taken his friend’s life,” he said.

“He must live with himself and knowledge of what he has done for the rest of his life.”

Mr Kot’s younger brother Machar was fatally stabbed during a fight in Melbourne’s CBD in June 2020.

His killer Marco Deng was jailed last year for a maximum 19 years after he was found guilty of murder.

Makir, who has spent more than two years in custody, will return to the Supreme Court for sentence at a later date.