‘Hearts groaning in pain’ after death of Cassius Turvey
Thousands of strangers stood side-by-side in silence for murdered Noongar boy Cassius Turvey on Monday evening, a short walk from where he was killed.
Thousands of strangers stood side-by-side in silence for murdered Noongar boy Cassius Turvey on Monday evening, a short walk from where he was killed.
The candlelight vigil for 15-year-old Cassius began at Midland Oval in Perth with a short message from elder Ben Taylor, a veteran of the Indigenous rights movement who told the crowd: “We are all in sorrow … all our hearts are groaning in pain when we think about what happened to that poor boy.”
On a tree nearby, condolences to Cassius’ mother, Mechelle, were pegged to leaves.
Cassius was fatally beaten on October 13 while walking home from school with friends, and died 10 days later. One of his friends, a 13-year-old boy who was on crutches, was also beaten and survived to give an account to his mother and police. Cassius also spoke briefly to police from hospital but no formal statement was taken.
The other friends have told their parents and police that the attackers, including a woman who drove the car, used racial slurs.
Jack Brearley faces one charge of murder, one of aggravated assault and one count of stealing because police will allege he took the crutches of the 13-year-old friend after attacking them both. The driver of the car police believe was involved is said to be helping homicide squad detectives.
At the vigil for Cassius, West Australian Police Commissioner Col Blanch was in the crowd and not in uniform at the invitation of Mrs Turvey.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Blanch held what The Australian has been told was a conciliatory meeting with Mrs Turvey at the Perth home of one of her relatives. Less than four months into the job as the state’s top police officer, he caused enormous upset when he told talkback radio last week: “We’re not operating on any principles of racism or motivation at this point”.
Mr Blanch has since said his focus was justice for Cassius and that, essentially, he must be careful not to telegraph what the police believe about motivation for the crime. He has said he regretted the impact of his description of Cassius as being “in the wrong place at the wrong time” and stressed that the boy was the innocent victim of a violent crime.
Michelle Hovane from the southern city of Fremantle was in tears as she and her husband Francis Italiano paid their respects to Cassius at the vigil.
“This can’t continue, this has to stop,” Mr Italiano said. “This is racism.”
Mrs Hovane said Cassius’s story had broken their hearts and, as parents of a 15-year-old, frightened them.
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