Brett Halcro: Fresh charges for teens in alleged Pyrmont stabbing attack

Seven teens charged over the alleged knife attack on a man in Sydney that shocked the community have been hit with new charges.

Prosecutors have hit seven schoolboys accused of roles in the horrific attack on a father in Sydney’s inner city last year with revised charges, with the most serious counts dropped against several boys.

However, the teens police say were the key players in the alleged assault and stabbing of Brett Halcro at Pyrmont in July still face lengthy prison sentences if found guilty of their allegedly brutal actions.

Police allege a group of teenagers set upon Mr Halcro, then 36, late at night on July 31 and bashed him unconscious before one boy used a knife to “carve up” the victim’s face as he lay defenceless.

Brett Halcro was allegedly subjected to what police claim was a brutal knife attack in Pyrmont.

Mr Halcro spent weeks in an intensive care ward and doctors feared he would lose his eye after it was punctured by a blade allegedly wielded by the boy, then 16, as he slashed at the man’s face.

The teen, who attended prestigious private school Barker College in Sydney’s north, remains in custody after being denied bail due to the “sadistic” nature of his role in the alleged assault.

Police charged nine people – then aged between 15 and 18 – in the week following the incident.

Mr Halcro being treated at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital following the devastating knife attack. Picture: Supplied

On Tuesday seven of the underage teens faced a children’s court, some accompanied by their parents and one wearing a school uniform.

All faced charges of affray and the serious offence of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, which carries a maximum jail term of 25 years in prison if convicted.

The court was told the Director of Public Prosecutions was withdrawing the charges to lay revised counts.

Five of the boys will now instead be prosecuted solely for assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company, which holds a maximum sentence of two years jail if convicted.

The teen who allegedly carved up Brett Halcro’s face.

Two of the boys, however, still face the prospect of up to 25 years behind bars if found guilty of the additional charge of causing grievous bodily harm to a person with intent.

They are the teen police allege wielded the knife, who this month turns 17, and another boy who allegedly boasted about his role in the attack in a series of text messages discovered by police.

“I put the shattered bottle in his stomach and then (another boy) slit his face like 15 times and stabbed him in the eye,” he said in texts, according to documents tendered to court.

“He stuck it in his eye. Put it in deeper. And swivelled the knife around. So funny. His eye was like a coin slot.”

Those two boys are also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company.

One of the boys charged over the alleged incident.

The court was previously told how “quite disturbing” police facts detail the alleged events that unfolded about 11pm on July 31, with much of the incident caught on mobile phone footage.

It was told up to 10 young people were staying in an Airbnb in the inner city suburb when several of them ran outside and allegedly ambushed Mr Halcro.

Magistrate Mary Ryan told the court in August it was “very upsetting” to read through the police allegations.

“In my time on the bench and as a lawyer before that, I have never read anything so abhorrent in the adult jurisdiction and this is the children’s jurisdiction,” she said.

Police on the scene of the alleged stabbing in the early hours of August 1, 2020. Picture: Gordon McComiskie

The matters were all adjourned to May 11 to allow prosecutors and the boys’ lawyers to sit down for case conferences.

No pleas have been entered in court.

The lone adult charged over the incident, Jalen Morrison, who was 18 at the time, will face Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday.

His charges of affray and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm were also withdrawn on Monday.

The Asquith man still faces single counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and larceny.