In Brisbane, 15-year-old murder accused granted bail
The Queensland Children's Court in Brisbane has allowed a 15-year-old boy accused of murdering a 27-year-old man following the alleged seizure of his car in the Kelvin Grove area to be released on bail. As ABC News reports, Judge Anthony Rafter ordered the teenager's release pending trial under strict conditions.
Case circumstances
In July, police detained the 15-year-old boy and six other minors aged between 14 and 17 in connection with the alleged attack on a 27-year-old man in Kelvin Grove. According to investigators, the group pulled the man from his car, beat him and took his pickup truck.
According to the prosecution, when the man tried to stop the group from driving away in his vehicle, the car ran over him. The man died in August. The boy was initially charged with a number of offences, including group robbery and inflicting grievous bodily harm, but the charge was changed to murder after the victim's death.
Positions of the parties and release conditions
At the bail hearing, the court was told that the incident had been captured on video, which had already been shown during an earlier hearing. The judge said the recording was compelling evidence of the teenager's involvement in the beating, as it showed him kicking and punching the man.
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Defence lawyer Ria Ku said her client denies being involved in planning an attack specifically on the victim. According to her, the boy was in the rear passenger seat at the time of the vehicle running over the man and was not driving the car. She noted that the degree of his involvement in the incident would be key during the proceedings.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Greg Cummings said that the video recording and other evidence did not support the version that the group had altruistic motives. According to him, the recording indicates that the attack was aimed from the outset at taking the car.
The court also heard that the autopsy report is not yet ready. As a result, it has not yet been established whether the man's death resulted from injuries inflicted during the initial attack or after he was thrown from the pickup truck. Judge Rafter noted that the evidence of the teenager's active participation in a prolonged, violent attack appeared very strong, but without the autopsy report, the case for murder or manslaughter has only some basis.
The teenager must wear an electronic bracelet and comply with a round-the-clock movement restriction. He cannot leave home without being accompanied by his parents or a representative of the youth justice service, and he must not contact co-accused persons or witnesses.
