By Lachlan Abbott
The mother of a boy charged over the murder of a teen at a bus stop in Melbourne’s west has moved house after receiving threats to her safety, a court has been told.
The 17-year-old boy faced court on Wednesday charged with murder after the stabbing death of a younger teen almost two weeks ago.
Pasawm Lyhym died after being stabbed in Sunshine earlier this month.
Victoria Police said the teenager handed himself in to Keilor Downs police station late on Tuesday night following the stabbing outside Sunshine train station just after school had ended on May 18.
Pasawm Lyhym, 16, was killed in the attack.
The accused boy appeared at a children’s court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody. He did not apply for bail.
The court was told it was the boy’s first time in custody, his defence lawyer adding that the accused’s mother had acted on police advice to move house after credible threats were made against her.
Police keep watch outside a western suburban school.Credit: Justin McManus.
The boy’s parents and two family friends supported him in court during his hearing.
Two other teenage boys were also injured in the stabbing incident, which led to a high school in the western suburbs hiring security staff because of fears of reprisal attacks on students.
Additional police units were also deployed to Sunshine Station and the area surrounding the school to thwart potential retaliation attempts.
Investigators allege the fatal stabbing was the culmination of escalating tensions between two groups of teenagers from different schools, with footage captured before the attack and circulated online showing three youths chasing a student with a machete.
CCTV footage from shops close to where Pasawm died at a Sunshine bus stop showed a person with a large knife running down a laneway shortly after the stabbing occurred.
Police also interviewed two male teens, a 17-year-old from Caroline Springs and an 18-year-old from Burnside, about the incident. Both were released without charge pending further inquiries.
The teen who has been charged will return to court in June.
Anyone with information that could assist police with their investigation is urged to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
With Marta Pascual Juanola
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