Fatal blow shown in court
Footage of altercation played at bail hearing Child sex offender freed ‘because of the virus’
THE final moments of slain teen Jack Beasley’s life have been played in court during a bail bid for one of the accused involved in the fatal stabbing.
CCTV footage of the alleged incident lasted just over a minute and showed the start of the altercation between the young footy player and a group of teenagers on December 13. The footage captured the moment his accused stabber appeared to produce the knife.
It showed the fatal blow, in which the teenager managed to run away before dropping to the ground and out of the view of the CCTV.
Ma-Mal-J Toala, 19, who was allegedly involved in the fatal stabbing, yesterday applied for bail in Brisbane Supreme Court.
He is one of five teens charged with murder.
Toala, who has been in custody since he was arrested in December, was not present during the proceedings.
Only the slain teenager’s parents Brett and Belinda Beasley and a detective were in the courtroom.
Jack’s parents left the room as the video played.
Judge Peter Davis yesterday reserved his decision to consider submissions.
He said it wasn’t an “open and shut case of murder” against Toala. Mr Davis said knowing one had a knife was a long way to being a party to a stabbing.
Defence barrister Rob East QC played the footage to highlight his client’s alleged role in the offending.
He argued that while there was likely to be a fight he was on the fringe of the altercation before ultimately becoming involved.
The court was told Toala was aware of a knife, but Mr East argued during the altercation his client did not know it was going to be used.
Police have alleged the five teens, aged 18, 17, 15 and two 16-year-olds, exchanged words with Jack and another teenager near the IGA in Surfers Paradise just before 8pm, before returning to rob the pair. It is alleged the 15year-old produced a knife and stabbed Jack to death, before stabbing another teen in the chest and back.
Crown Prosecutor Cecelia Bernardin opposed bail and argued Toala could reoffend and was a flight risk.
She dismissed the notion that the coronavirus outbreak would delay the matter. Ms Bernardin argued there was already a delay anticipated due to the number of co-accused.
The matter was adjourned and a decision will be handed down next week.
A GOLD COAST man with a history of child sex offending who most recently exposed himself to a seven-year-old girl has been released from prison due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
Corey Karl Devlin, 29, faced Southport District Court yesterday for flashing his penis at the child and smiling at her.
He pleaded guilty over video from prison to indecently treating a child aged under 12 on September 30 last year.
The man was previously convicted of two counts of having sexual intercourse with a person aged between 14-16 and one count each of possessing child exploitation material and failing to abide by sex offender reporting obligations between 2012-14, the court was told.
Crown prosecutor Michael Mitchell said the man was 10 months into a suspended sentence and probation order when he offended against the girl.
She rushed to tell her grandmother and father, who reported the matter to police.
Judge Julie Dick was concerned “he’s going to end up back in jail” and told the man: “You keep offending against children – you have a problem”.
“And eventually it is possible for a court to order you don’t be released ever, if it keeps going on.”
But Judge Dick said Devlin would be freed due to the threat of coronavirus in prisons.
Judge Dick said she and her colleagues were “under a lot of pressure to get people out of custody for obvious reasons”.
The man was sentenced to 149 days prison, which he had already served.