Cassius Turvey kill accused blames ‘ex-friend’

Jack Brearley, the man accused of fatally bashing Perth schoolboy Cassius Turvey, has claimed it was his former friend – a ‘bigger, meaner, older’ man – who inflicted the blows on the teen.

Cassius Turvey.

Jack Brearley, the man accused of fatally bashing Perth schoolboy Cassius Turvey with the detached metal handrail of a shopping trolley, has claimed it was his former friend – a “bigger, meaner, older” man – who inflicted the blows on the teenager.

The second day of the Supreme Court trial over the death of 15-year-old Cassius has confirmed a split among the four adults charged over his death.

The prosecution says Mr Brearley was “hunting kids” on October 13, 2022, when he struck Cassius with the metal pole.

The jury has heard that Mr Brearley, who was 21 when Cassius died, admits he chased him, punched him and stood on his neck and head.

However, on Tuesday Mr Brearley’s lawyer Simon Watters said it was Brodie Palmer, then 27, who struck Cassius repeatedly with the metal pole.”

He saw Brodie Palmer standing there – back then, as he is now – older, bigger, meaner than Mr Brearley,” Mr Watters said.

“He turned and saw Brodie Palmer hit Cassius Turvey three times.

He couldn’t see Cassius because of the long grass but he heard him scream. He yelled at Mr Palmer to stop.”

Mr Palmer’s lawyer, Christian Porter, told the jury this was not true. The former federal attorney-general said Mr Palmer’s conduct on that day was appalling but that did not make him a murderer.

He said his client drove Mr Brearley and others to the area where Cassius was attacked but he did not know Mr Brearley’s intent or share his rage.

Mr Porter said child witnesses to the attack on Cassius would give evidence that it was Mr Brearley – identifiable by the white shirt he was wearing on the day – who struck Cassius.

“A beautiful 15-year-old boy had his life cut short in the most disgusting of circumstances,” Mr Porter told the jury.

“At no point will I try to put any lipstick on the pig of (my client’s) atrocious behaviour … (he) was behaving in an utterly and totally appalling way but he did not strike Cassius Turvey.”

Mr Porter said Mr Brearley’s claims were “the desperate act of someone who will be proved to be a thug, a bully and a coward and (someone) who is now pointing the finger at his former friend to save his own skin”.

He said Mr Brearley had shown a consistent combination of extreme violence, mistargeted revenge, white hot rage and cowardice. For example, CCTV footage of Mr Brearley four days before the attack on Cassius showed him dragging a different 15-year-old boy while yelling at him: “I am going to rip your f..king head off”.

“I want to put to you that sums up Jack Brearley at his core,” Mr Porter said to the jury.

The prosecution says four adults aged between 20 and 27 when Cassius died are all guilty of his murder – Mr Brearley, his then girlfriend Aleesha Gilmore, Mr Palmer and Mitchell Forth.

While the state says only Mr Brearley struck Cassius, the others are charged for their alleged roles on the day.

A fifth adult, Ethan Mackenzie, is in the dock with them for his alleged role in the separate assault captured on CCTV four days before the attack on Cassius.

The prosecution says Cassius died over “petty grievances” that had nothing to do with him.

The trial is expected to last for 10 weeks