How slain teenager Cassius Turvey's mother Mechelle used courage and restraint to pave a way for justice
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains an image of a person who has died, used with the permission of their family.
The scene of Mechelle Turvey hugging the lead detective of her son's murder case after two killers were sentenced to life imprisonment is a picture of the justice system and law enforcement at work.
But perhaps closer to the truth, is that it's a result of one mother's courage to tread the path of justice, and also change Western Australia's police force for good.
Cassius Turvey's death shook the nation. The 15-year-old boy was savagely beaten with a metal pole while walking with friends after school.
Tensions swirled.
An insidious fear crept into the community. The public called for justice. Thousands rallied across the country.
But through all of the noise, and the pain, Mechelle Turvey stayed composed. Grief-stricken, no doubt, but composed.
The community was asking questions about whether the attack was racially motivated, or to frame it another way, whether Aboriginal children could safely walk the streets as Cassius did.
Decades of pain bubbled to the surface from Australia's colonial past as the First Nations community saw yet another one of their children die.
The prime minister decried the "racially motivated" attack. "We are a better country than that," Anthony Albanese said.
But through it all, Mechelle Turvey called for calm and urged the community not to use Cassius's death to push their own agenda.
Through a cloud of grief and anger she could still see the way forward.
The court did not prosecute whether racism was a motivating factor behind the expedition of misguided vigilantism which ultimately led to Cassius's death, but Chief Justice Peter Quinlan was clear the attackers racially vilified the Aboriginal children they were hunting.
"It's no surprise … that the kids think they were being targeted because they were Aboriginal, and the attack would create justifiable fear for them and for the broader community that this was a racially motivated attack," Justice Quinlan said in his sentencing remarks.
At the time of the attack, tensions between police and the community were at boiling point amid the #BlackLivesMatter movement sparked in the United States.
Mechelle Turvey knew.
She knew the attackers had been spraying racial slurs at her son and his friends.
She knew the men who attacked her little boy — Jack Brearley, Brodie Palmer and Mitchell Forth — were guilty.
She knew her community was grieving and in pain.
But, she stayed composed because she knew the path forward was by trudging through the system.
It's easy to cry and yell in anger after your son dies. And no-one would blame anyone for doing so.
What's hard is controlling the unimaginable grief of losing your son for almost three years — so as to not jeopardise a trial — while the court and a jury methodically dug for the truth.
Now we know the truth.
Brearley is a murderer who showed no restraint when he hunted and senselessly beat an innocent boy with a metal pole.
The chief justice described him as a "comical" liar who tried not only to frame an innocent man of murdering Cassius, but tried to frame Cassius as a violent attacker who deserved to be beaten. All lies.
Palmer — another murderer — showed a "flicker of decency" when he interrupted Brearley's fit of rage, but as Justice Quinlan put it, "restraint in the context of a murder of a child does not weigh heavily".
In the wake of her son's death, Mechelle Turvey knew perhaps more than anyone what had actually happened. But her restraint paved the way for justice to run its course.
Her restraint paved the way for police officers to learn how to properly manage the needs of Aboriginal victims of crime.
Mechelle Turvey now helps the WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch — who she told to "get effed" when they first met — by running a program for officers which helps to "stamp out RoboCop attitudes".
The scene of Mechelle Turvey hugging Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Cleal is a picture of the ideal: when law enforcement and the justice system help the community.
But perhaps closer to the truth is that the scene is a beacon of hope that individuals — like Mechelle Turvey — can make change.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Greens candidate Hannah Thomas suffers facial injuries after wild Belmore Palestine protest
A former Greens candidate who took on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come away with graphic injuries after a pro-Palestine protest descended into chaos. The unauthorised protest took place on Friday morning outside SEC Plating in Belmore, Sydney. Protesters claim the company provides components used in a class of jets operated by the Israeli Defence Force. NSW Police attempted to disperse the group, stating the protest was not authorised. 'Five people have been arrested following an unauthorised protest in Sydney's west this morning,' a police statement read. 'About 5.35am Friday, officers attached to Campsie Police Area Command attended Lakemba Street, Belmore. 'Police issued a move on direction to a group of about 60 protesters, who allegedly attempted to block pedestrian access to the business. 'A 26-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were subsequently arrested after allegedly failing to comply with the direction. 'During the 35-year-old woman's arrest, she sustained facial injuries and was taken to Bankstown Hospital for treatment.' The injured woman has been identified as Hannah Thomas, who challenged Mr Albanese in the federal seat of Grayndler at the election earlier this year. A video recorded by one of the protesters captures a confrontation between police officers and several attendees. In the footage, some protesters can be heard shouting, 'let go of her.' A woman wearing a black coat is from the group and at one moment she appears to fall to the ground alongside a police officer. An officer is heard instructing, 'Get up now,' to which the woman responds, 'I'm trying.' It is not clear if the woman who is taken away in the video is Ms Thomas. A photo taken after the incident appears to show Ms Thomas standing next to an officer with visible swelling around her eye. A source has confirmed with NewsWire that Ms Thomas has undergone initial surgery and her vision may be impacted. A joint statement from the Greens said NSW Police had 'violently attacked and assaulted protesters' at the 'peaceful picket … leaving one woman with serious facial injuries and arresting multiple demonstrators'. 'SEC Plating reportedly is involved in providing plating services for various parts used in F-35 jets,' the statement reads. 'The State of Israel's fleet of around 40F-35 rely on the global supply chain and supplement supply from countries like Australia to continue the genocide against the Palestinian people.' The statement says Peter O'Brien Lawyers has been engaged to represent Ms Thomas along with other protesters. Ms Thomas has not been charged with a crime, the police said. The police have charged a 29-year-old woman with refuse or fail to comply with direction, a 24-year-old man with larceny and goods in personal custody suspected of being stolen, a 41-year-old man with using offensive language in or near public place or school and a 26-year-old man with refuse or fail to comply with directions and hinder or resist a police officer in the execution of duty. They were all granted conditional bail and will appear before Bankstown Local Court on July 15. Inquiries into the matter are ongoing, the police added. Rising Tide organiser Zack Schofield was arrested in the tussle and claimed the protest constituted 'legitimate political expression against genocide'. 'I witnessed the brutal assault against a community member this morning, someone who was lawfully expressing themselves in public, and it was sickening,' he said.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Tasmanian boy left homeless due to child protection department's 'gross negligence', family member says
A 13-year-old boy was left languishing in a homeless shelter for months because of the Tasmanian child protection department's "gross negligence", a family member says. The family member, who cannot be named due to child protection laws, repeatedly urged the department to act, warning the boy was "hanging around a tent city of homeless adults", taking drugs and dealing them. When she found out in August that the child was homeless, and questioned why authorities had not intervened, she said a department worker told her there were only two response staff on in the area. "I understand that your office is grossly understaffed — this is not your fault, but it's also not [the child's]," the family member wrote to the worker. Having worked in the child protection system interstate, she told the ABC that understaffing could lead to "permanent harm". "Those sorts of levels of staffing lead to deaths of children," she said. "It leads to instability because then the workers burn out and they can't provide the correct level of care for these kids. But, ultimately, these kids pay the price, and it changes the path of their life permanently." The department could not tell the ABC how many staff were on in the child's area between August and September, but in the north-west there were 12.7 full-time employees, compared to 16.7 the year before. Across the entire state, the staffing figure for that period was 85.6 on average, down from 102 the previous year. In October, the child's primary worker told the family member the boy was under the department's guardianship as per an interim order, and that a 12-month order was in process. But the boy continued to bounce around the state homeless, with the family member holding "serious concerns" about how his case was being managed. "No disrespect to you…as you have been thrown in the deep end, but [his] case is complex and cannot be effectively managed if you have not met him and there is back and forth between the northwest and the south which further slows things down. It needs to be managed by an experienced team in the south who can physically get out to see [him]," she wrote in an email. The worker said the department was in search of stable accommodation for the child but there had been "some difficulty". "I have followed up with the progress frequently, but the matter sits above me at this point in time, so I am unable to escalate it myself. [His] case has also been requested to transfer south due to that is where he is currently located, but due to the current placement request potentially being state-wide, the case transfer has been put on hold," the worker wrote. Often gone from the shelter for days, the child was seen advertising the sale of drugs online. "It's not acceptable that an at-risk 13-year-old child is being left to his own devices and there isn't a plan in place to return him to placement," the family member wrote to the department. "I'm worried about the path that he is currently on and that it's going to lead to him being further abused or overdosing, in juvenile detention, seriously hurt, or worse." The family member said the department no longer responded to her questions about the child's current situation and that she would make a formal complaint about the handling of his case. The department could not comment on individual matters for legal and privacy reasons. Tasmania's child protection department has been increasingly handling notifications about children in potential risk through pathways other than launching an investigation. Around 75 per cent of notifications for non-Aboriginal children, and more than half for Aboriginal kids, were "dealt with by other means" last financial year, data from a Productivity Commission report shows. It contributed the increase to "a change" in how cases are recorded since the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. "During and following the commission of inquiry there were increases of historical abuse being reported. These notifications were assessed and closed as 'dealt with by other means' under 17 (2)(b), when no current risk to children is identified," the department said. Senior program manager at Anglicare, Marni Bos, said the non-government organisation received referrals from child safety — some that required a higher level of intervention than the organisation could offer. She said across the state, there was a "high demand" for their outreach program for kids with complex needs. The Supported Youth Program provided support, counselling and mediation for children aged 10 to 18 who were in an unstable home, disengaged from education, experiencing substance abuse or struggling socially. "In that program over the last 12 months, we have case managed 135 young people across the north, north-west," Ms Bos said. "We have limited services in the north, north-west, and so that can be a contributing factor [for high demand]." She said greater awareness of their rights among young people, family violence and lack of housing had also contributed to the increase in demand. Interim Children's Commissioner Isabelle Crompton said around 400 children between the ages of 10 to 17 presented to the state's homelessness services each year. "Prevention and early intervention systems have not met the needs of this highly vulnerable group of children whose homelessness relates to a lack of appropriate or safe care," she said. "I know from speaking with children and young people that experiencing homelessness on their own can lead to offending behaviour and further unsafe situations," Ms Crompton said. Youth offences in Tasmania have risen from 3,800 in 2022 to 5,782 last year. Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner of Operations Adrian Bodnar last month said 57 people were responsible for half of the youth crimes in the state. "It's a small cohort of youths that are creating the bulk of the issues for us in the community," Assistant Commissioner Bodnar said. The state's Liberal and Labor parties have not yet outlined their policies for the child protection sector, ahead of the election next month. Labor spokesperson Sarah Lovell said she was aware the system had been "chronically underfunded and under-resourced for over a decade". "Our commitment is to deliver a properly resourced, responsive, and accountable system that genuinely supports the wellbeing of vulnerable children and families," Ms Lovell said. Premier Jeremy Rockliff said: "We're supporting all the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, which includes increased investment in child protection."
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Morning News Bulletin 28 June 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . TRANSCRIPT Two men who murdered Indigenous teenager Cassius Turvey receive a life sentence The US brokers a peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo Australian teenager Rocco Zikarsky one of four Australians selected in the NBA draft — Two men have been sentenced to life in prison over the killing of Aboriginal schoolboy Cassius Turvey in Western Australia's Supreme Court. The judge said the 15-year-old boy was robbed of his life in a brutal act which can never be made right. Jack Brearley and Brodie Palmer will need to serve at least 22 and 18 years respectively before they're eligible for parole. Cassius' mother Michelle spoke outside court after the sentencing. "The first thing that came to mind when Jack Brearley was sentenced to life was how he said my son had learnt his lesson after he had bashed him in the bush ... Well, he learnt a life lesson now." --- The US Supreme Court has issued a ruling that curbs the ability of lone judges to block the powers of President Donald Trump nationwide. In a 6-3 ruling stemming from the bid to end birthright citizenship in the US, the court says nationwide injunctions by individual district court judges likely exceed their authority. Critics say the decision will embolden Mr Trump's aggressive use of executive orders to further his agenda. Donald Trump, however rejects concerns about the concentration of power in the White House. He says the ruling is a giant win. "So thanks to this decision, we can now promptly file to proceed with these numerous policies, those that have been wrongly enjoined in a nationwide basis, including birthright citizenship, ending sanctuary city funding, suspending refugee resettlement, freezing unnecessary funding, stopping federal taxpayers from paying for transgender surgeries and numerous other priorities of the American people." The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed a peace deal facilitated by the US to help end decades of deadly fighting in the region. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took part in the signing ceremony in Washington, along with the foreign ministers of the two African nations. The conflict has been described by the UN as "one of the most protracted, complex and serious humanitarian crises on Earth". With roots in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, it has displaced seven million people in the Congo, and escalated earlier this year with M23 rebels seizing major cities in the eastern part of the DRC. DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner says the deal offers a rare chance to turn things around with real change on the ground. "With this peace agreement, we open a new chapter, one that calls not only for commitment, but for the courage to see it through. By signing this agreement, we reaffirm a simple truth. Peace is a choice, but also responsibility. To respect international law. To uphold human rights and to protect the sovereignty of states." A senior New South Wales Labor staffer has told an that inquiry Premier Chris Minns characterised the Dural Caravan plot as terrorism during a press conference because of a briefing provided by police. The Premier's Chief of Staff James Cullen is among five government political advisers appearing before the inquiry that is examining what the state government staffers knew about an apparent terrorist plot, which investigators later revealed to be a hoax. The inquiry is examining what the government knew about the caravan plot and when, amid concerns parliament may have been misled before passing controversial hate speech laws. Mr Cullen told the hearing the premier described the event as a terrorist attack because it was the language used by police in a briefing, despite police also alerting the public there were 'alternative lines' of inquiry. "Potential mass casualty event was not a term thrown around lightly at all. That was a very serious thing that was introduced by police in those briefings. I think that there has been a bit of a squashing here after the fact. The potential for that caravan with that explosives and so ignited could have been devastating and that had to be treated seriously." Australian teenager Rocco Zikarsky will start his NBA career at Minnesota, after being recruited with pick No.45 in the draft. Rising talent Zikarsky, who is 2.2 metres tall, was one of four players from the NBL's Next Star program to declare for the draft. The 18-year-old from the Sunshine Coast was overlooked on the first night of the event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. But Zikarsky was snapped up with the 15th pick of the second round.
