Horror images of an alleged attack before Perth schoolboy Cassius Turvey was fatally struck: court
Horror images of an alleged attack before Perth schoolboy Cassius Turvey was fatally struck show one of the accused killers with cuts to his leg, a court has heard.
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Horror images of an alleged attack before Perth schoolboy Cassius Turvey was fatally struck show one of his accused killers with deep cuts to his leg.
Cassius, 15, was walking with a group of friends through Middle Swan, in Perth’s east, after school when it is alleged a group of armed people in their 20s pulled up in a car, chased the boy and fatally struck him with a metal pole on October 13, 2022.
The fatal blows split the 15-year old’s ear in half, lacerated his forehead and caused brain damage, the court has heard. He died in hospital from complications to his injuries 10 days later.
Jack Brearley, 23, Aleesha Gilmore, 23, Mitchell Forth, 26, and Brodie Palmer, 29, are on trial in the WA Supreme Court, accused of murdering Cassius over petty grievances that had nothing to do with him.
A fifth man, 20-year-old Ethan McKenzie, has not been charged with murder, but has been charged with deprivation of liberty and assault for his alleged involvement in snatching two teenage boys off the street days before Cassius was allegedly attacked.
Mr Brearley, Mr Forth and Ms Gilmore are also facing additional charges over the same incidents.
The state alleges a teenage love triangle that lasted for a matter of days involving Ms Gilmore’s 14-year old brother, a girl and another boy became involved in friction and young boys fighting.
The court heard allegations this led the accused to arm themselves and hunt down school kids who threatened Ms Gilmore’s brother through suburbs in Perth’s east.
Four days before Cassius was beaten, Ms Gilmore, together with her former flame Mr Brearley, Mr Forth and Mr McKenzie, went out in a car looking for the boys involved in the friction with her younger brother and his friend on October 9, 2022.
The state alleges they found a schoolboy and Mr McKenzie got out and demanded the boy get in the car.
The court was told the group came across another boy, but he had nothing to do with the conflict and tried to run away from the car load of people.
It is alleged Mr Brearley, Mr McKenzie and Mr Forth chased him on foot yelling obscenities at him down a suburban street before he was caught, punched, kicked and booted on the ground.
The boy was allegedly stabbed by Mr McKenzie, made to get in the car at knifepoint and forced to go with the group.
A witness who was 13 years old at the time and in the car with the accused told the court he was in the back wearing a pink balaclava with Ms Gilmore’s brother who he was friends with.
He recalled a teenager was forced to get in the car who was “scared and shaking” after being spoken to aggressively and held by the neck.
“Everybody was arguing in the car, they were arguing they hit the wrong person,” he said.
In what the state alleges was tit for tat retaliation, a group of school children smashed Mr Brearley’s car windows three days later.
The car was parked out the front of the house where Mr Brearley lived with Ms Gilmore, her brothers and her father.
Cassius was allegedly set upon by the accused the following day.
The court was told Ms Gilmore’s brothers had been organising a fight with other boys involved in the friction, and told their older sister about threats kids were going to run their house on October 13, 2022.
Ms Gilmore was at Mr Palmer’s Parkerville home in the Perth hills with Mr Brearley and Mr Forth at the time and the four adults returned to her home shortly after, “rowdy,” “drunk” and “getting weapons.”
They allegedly left the house in Mr Palmer’s car armed with metal shopping trolley handles and knuckledusters looking for a group of school kids coming towards the house.
The court was told Ms Gilmore and Mr Brearley got into an argument while they were in the car and she jumped out before the others came across a group of 19 children.
The state alleges Mr Brearley chased after a group of kids who ran through a grassed area, and caught Cassius in bushes near a creek, striking him twice to the head.
But Mr Brearley claims it was the 15-year old who stabbed him first, slashing his leg with a knife.
Mr Brearley’s lawyer Simon Watters told the court Mr Brearley put his foot on Cassius’ head and punched him on the eyebrow so he would stop stabbing him then walked away.
Mr Brearley claims it was his co-accused Mr Palmer who delivered the fatal blows, and the court heard allegations he then later threatened to put Mr Brearley and Ms Gilmore in body bags if they told anyone what happened.
Mr Palmer denies the allegations. His lawyer Christian Porter told the court his client remained in his car the entire time the alleged incident unfolded.
The trial continues.
Originally published as Horror images of an alleged attack before Perth schoolboy Cassius Turvey was fatally struck: court
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