Cassius Turvey's killers sentenced in the WA Supreme Court over the murder of the Perth schoolboy

News.com.au

4 hours ago

Applause erupted in the WA Supreme Court after a group of violent men who sought revenge over misguided rage that led to horrific murder of Perth schoolboy Cassius Turvey were handed their sentence in the WA Supreme Court.
Cassius, 15, was set upon by three men and beaten with a shopping trolley handle over petty grievances that had nothing to do with him while walking with friends after school on October 13, 2022.
The boy died from his injuries in hospital 10 days later.
Four days before the attack the group of violent 'thugs' kidnapped two young boys at knifepoint off suburban streets in Perth's east over threats made between other children that did not involve them.
Jack Brearley, 24, and Brodie Palmer, 30, were both found guilty of murdering Cassius, who was struck twice with a shopping trolley pole.
Mitchel Forth, 27, and Aleesha Gilmore, 23, were also charged with murder over Cassius's death.
A jury found Forth not guilty of Cassius's murder but guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Gilmore was found not guilty of both murder and manslaughter.
A fifth man, Ethan McKenzie, 21, was not charged with murder but faced other charges over a separate incident involving Brearley, Gilmore and Forth four days before Cassius was killed.
The jury found them guilty of all other charges, including the deprivation of liberty of the two boys who were held against their will.
On Friday, Palmer was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non parole period of 18 years by Supreme Court Chief Justice Peter Quinlan.
Brearley struck Cassius with a metal pole causing the vulnerable child to suffer fatal injuries.
He was involved in most of the offences that occurred over the four days and was sentenced to 22 years in jail he will be eligible for parole in October 23, 2044.
'You have no remorse whatsoever, you letter to me expresses regret for your actions or behaviour but does not mention what they were or mentions the name Cassius Turvey,' chief justice Quinlan said.
'You cannot make amends when you do not acknowledge the pain you have cause.
'You tried to frame an innocent man, then said your co-accused was the killer.'
McKenzie was sentenced for two years and six months for his role in kidnapping two boys and stabbing one.
He will be eligible for parole on November 25.
Gilmore was sentenced to three years and nine months for her role in snatching boys off the street and the assault of another.
She received a conditional suspended sentence and will be placed on a strict supervision order and a curfew requirement for six months.
Forth was involved in all the offences but was described as a follower tying to be a tough guy that did not physically harm the victims.
He was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, he will be eligible for parole on January 19, 2033.
Cassius' mother told a court on Thursday it would take lifetimes to heal from her son's senseless and violent murder by a group of vigilante adults.
Mechelle Turvey said the attack on her son was racially motivated and young Aboriginal children were racially vilified before they were chased down by her son's killers, in a victim impact statement to the WA Supreme Court.
While the prosecution argued it was not a racially motivated attack during the three month trial, Chief Justice Peter Quinlan told the court the group used racially charged language and racial slurs, calling them 'n words and black c. ts.'
'It is not a surprise when non-Aboringal men set upon Aboriginal kids and beats a boy so badly that it kills him, the kids thought they were being set upon because they were Aboriginal,' he said.
'That fear is real and is legitimate but it was your actions Brearlely, Palmer and Forth and you are responsible for that fear.'
Chief Justice Quinlan said Cassius was robbed of his life and the promise of becoming a community leader because Brearley cut his life short in an act of violent aggression.
The chief justice said Brearley lacked any credibility and deliberately lied during his evidence and tried to frame an innocent person for the murder of a child.
'You are very bad liar Mr Brearley, your lies are often obvious and completely incredible,' he said.
He said he was satisfied it was Brearley who struck Cassius but his co-offenders intended to chase children armed with weapons and cause them harm.
He said all the offending involved children and vigilante behaviour over imagined grievances that saw the accused take the law into their own hands.
He said the boy who was stabbed and forced to get into a car with the three adult men who had beaten him up for no reason would have been terrified.
He said witnesses told the court they saw people in the car wearing balaclavas and a boy covered in blood, shocked and scared.