Teenage girls ‘enjoyed’ filming fatal assault of Cian English, court told

Two girls strove to capture clear footage of a vicious assault on Irish teen before he plunged to his death trying to escape.

Cian English dies in a balcony fall after a brutal attack. Picture: Supplied

Two girls filmed themselves callously taunting an Irish teenager as their friends brutally assaulted him in a Gold Coast high-rise, before he fled on to a balcony and plunged to his death, police allege.

The chilling footage shared on Snapchat allegedly shows the girls, aged 15 and 16, moving their friends out of the way so they could get clearer recordings of the prolonged assault on 19-year-old victim Cian English.

One girl orders English to mop up his own blood off the floor during the attack. “No, get a bit more,” she allegedly tells him.

“Can you scrub it with a tissue as well … It’s literally not clean … get all.”

The final, terrifying moments in the life of 19-year-old English can be detailed for the first time after one man charged over the attack was granted bail last month.

In documents lodged in Queensland’s Supreme Court to oppose his release — obtained by The Australian — police allege at least one of the girls expressed enjoyment as they used their mobile phones to film English and a friend being punched in the face, headbutted and stabbed.

The girls, who cannot be named because of their ages, are alleged to have positioned themselves to record as much of the attack as they could, “even moving other defendants out of the way of the camera to ensure the victim ¬assault was captured”, according to a police summary filed in court.

Police say the attack of 20 minutes was recorded in 25 videos and photos on the girls’ phones.

English and a friend were allegedly recorded pleading to be let go after three men armed with knives wrongly accused them of stealing prescription medication during a drug-fuelled party.

“This is what happens when you steal medis from the boys,” the 15-year-old girl allegedly says.

Another video allegedly captures her response after English’s friend, Adrian Dzepo, then 19, is slammed into an open oven.

“He just f..ked him up in the oven c.. t, word,” she says.

“Did you get that oven?” her 16-year-old friend asks.

“The oven bit was ruthless,” the 15-year-old replied.

Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas, 18, Hayden Paul Kratzmann, 21, Jason Ryan Knowles, 22, and the two girls have each been charged with English’s murder. Police ¬allege his death was a “natural consequence” of their actions.

The police case is detailed in documents lodged in the Supreme Court after Mr Soper-Lagas was granted bail last month.

Police say English and school friends including Mr Dzepo booked into an apartment on the third floor of a high-rise in View Avenue, Surfers Paradise, last May for a two-night stay.

They had been to Betty’s Burgers for dinner then to a BWS to buy alcohol before returning to their apartment to drink and smoke cannabis on their balcony.

English and his family, originally from Carlow, southwest of Dublin, moved to Brisbane in 2015.

Mr Soper-Lagas separately booked into an apartment on the fourth floor, directly above English and his friends.

The two groups did not know each other but started talking over their balconies before moving -between the two units, drinking and using cannabis and prescription medication.

Before the attack, numerous Snapchat videos were allegedly taken of the men, who were showing off large quantities of prescription medication in the unit. “I do chemist breaks,” Mr Kratzmann is alleged to have boasted.

When an argument broke out between the two groups in the upper-level apartment, the girls started filming on their phones.

Two friends of the five people charged left the apartment as the assault started and were intercepted by police within minutes. They were allegedly found with a large quantity of medication and were taken into custody.

The Snapchat videos allegedly showed Mr Knowles demanding Mr Dzepo undress, saying: “I have done jail time … I’ll poke holes in you.” When English stood up and tried to calm Mr Knowles, Mr Soper-Lagas allegedly pushed in between them with a knife, saying: “You want f..ken holes in ya?”

Mr Knowles allegedly grabbed English around the throat and threw him to a couch then headbutted him before the assault escalated. Each time English and Mr Dzepo tried to stand, they were pushed down again. “We haven’t stolen anything. We’ll just go back to the room,” the two victims are alleged to have pleaded.

Mr Kratzmann held a knife to Mr Dzepo and demanded his phone, and was joined by the two girls in a “Mississippi” countdown.

A punch could be heard in the footage, leading the 15-year-old girl to turn the camera’s focus to English, whose head is seen reeling back, police allege.

The three accused men allegedly chased English on to the balcony while the 15-year-old girl followed. After English had fallen, she filmed him as he lay on the cement four levels below.

None of the five accused tried to render assistance.