Koang Wuordol appears before Alice Springs court over Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak’s alleged murder

Melbourne gangs, stolen shoes and a New Year’s casino rendezvous: Read the allegations at the centre of Yiel Gatluak’s homicide investigation

Koang Wuordol appeared in Alice Springs Court on Tuesday charged with the murder of 19-year-old Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak. PICTURE: NCA Newswire / Nicki Connolly

A boy has been accused of “extreme callousness” and “disregard” after allegedly stealing the shoes off an Alice Springs teenager who was beaten to death on the side of a dirt road.

Police have alleged the blood stained mementos were discovered in the 17-year-old’s bedroom a week after Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak’s death.

The 19-year-old Alice Springs teenager’s body was found on Undoolya Road, 10km east of Alice Springs on New Year’s Day.

Koang Wuordol appeared in the Alice Springs Local Court on Tuesday charged with murder, while another 22-year-old Guandong Lual Gatl Guandong faced court on Monday charged with aiding and abetting.

A court has heard allegations that Wuordol was a member of Melbourne’s Setta Gang and was known to Victorian Police intelligence.

Cattle workers discovered a horrific scene on New Year’s Day, finding 19-year-old Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak’s body abandoned on Undoolya Road, 10km east of Alice Springs. Supplied: Mary Riek

Their 17-year-old co-accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Judge David Bamber on Monday charged with being an accessory to murder.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Phillip Emmett told the court that on the day of Mr Gatluak’s death police picked up the 17-year-old at a Braitling home at 1.30am.

Sergeant Emmett said the 17-year-old, Wuordol and Guandong were captured arriving at the Alice Springs casino at 2.25am, and despite it being a licenced premises the teenager was allowed in.

He said it was there the trio bumped into Mr Gatluak.

Sergeant Emmett said due to the “close knit” nature of the Alice Springs African community they all knew each other, and by 3.52am the four young men left the venue.

He alleged Guandong was the driver of a 2017 black Ford Ranger Wildtrak, when they started driving around when “a physical altercation takes place between two of the parties”.

NT Police seized a 2017 black Ford Ranger wildtrak, with the NT registration CE 69 DM from the Alice Springs region in relation to a 19-year-old's suspicious death on Undoolya Road.

Sergeant Emmett alleged an autopsy report concluded the 19-year-old’s cause of death was from blunt force trauma to the head, with bruising to his internal abdomen “consistent with blows of strikes with extreme force”.

“This man was beaten to death on the roadside, ” he said.

Sergeant Emmett said police were aware of a “group” of witnesses, but no one had presented an explanation for the alleged violence.

He said 37 potential witnesses had been identified, but only 20 had been named and many provided “statements that are blank”.

Sergeant Emmett alleged for “reasons unknown” the 17-year-old allegedly took the victim’s shoes, leaving blood stains on the back of the ute.

Seven days later, police allegedly found Mr Gatluak shoes in the 17-year-old’s bedroom — with blood detected on the soles of the shoes.

Yiel Gatluak was born in Australia to South Sudanese parents and was raised in Melbourne's east and went to school in Dandenong. Supplied: Mary Riek

But defence lawyer Cassandra Leonard said the allegation for being an accessory after the fact to murder was “not an overwhelming case”.

Ms Leonard said the 17-year-old merely being present at the alleged murder did not mean he was criminally responsible for it.

“The height of the seriousness of this case is that shoes were found at his house,” she said.

Ms Leonard said the prosecution had to prove that the “only reasonable hypothesis” was to help hide the evidence.

“(And) if he is indeed found guilty for concealing shoes, a very lengthy term of imprisonment is not certain for this young individual.”

A vigil was held at the site where the body of 19-year-old Yoal Deng Gatluak was found on New Years Day.

Ms Leonard also called out the extraordinary period the teenager spent in the watch house, after being isolated, limited legal access and subjected to poor hygiene.

She said for the first five days the teenager was locked in a cell by himself, “he had one shower, he wasn’t allowed to call me for two days”.

“On the fifth day he was allowed to go call me, and requested some fresh underwear and clothes,” she said.

Ms Leonard said despite a 20-year-old man — who was also detained for six days — giving a witness statement within days of his arrest: “I have only been disclosed blank documents”.

The 17-year-old’s bail application was denied, with a preliminary examination hearing set for Thursday, February 29.

Wuordol and Guandong were also remanded in custody, to appear back in court on March 7.