Several people allegedly set upon with knives, bats and machetes — in a surprise “payback” attack in a Brisbane park — have given evidence against a dozen men accused of assaulting them and killing their friend.
Ben Abio, Alex Edward Deng, Kresto Wal Wal, Majok Riel Majok, Joseph Lokolong, Abraham Ajang Yaak, Juma Makuol, Santo Wal, Chan Kon, Gabreal Wal, Yohana Wal Wal and Malat Makuach are on trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane.
Earlier this week, the men – aged between 22 and 36 — pleaded not guilty to several charges each, including the murder of Girum Mekonnen in Zillmere in September 2020.
The men are on trial in the Supreme Court. (ABC News: Marc Smith)
They also pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of assault in relation to 10 other people.
Some of those complainants took the witness stand on Wednesday, including Kyle Avenido, who recounted being at a park with Mr Mekonnen and others when a group of men approached them.
Mr Avenido told the court some of the men had begun yelling at them in an “intimidating fashion” then “all of a sudden” they launched a violent assault.
He said one man confronted him and he responded, “please don’t do it bro, I don’t know you, I don’t know what’s going on” and then he was hit in the head with a glass bottle.
“I started bleeding profusely,” he said.
The trail is being presided over by a judge only, after the original jury were discharged. (ABC News: Neryssa Azlan)
Mr Avenido told the court he was then struck in the torso and was also stabbed in the back.
“Blood was spilling everywhere,” he said.
Mr Avenido told the court at one point he heard one of the men shout repeatedly “you hurt my brother”.
After he was wounded, Mr Avenido told the court he saw Mr Mekonnen who “just collapsed face-first in front of me”.
Another friend of Mr Mekonnen, Turuk Shong, who was also injured in the head and legs, told the court he had thrown bottles back at the men in self-defence.
“In that situation I’ve got to protect myself, that’s all I did,” he said.
“I was fearing for my life.”
Zaki Adwanga also gave evidence and told the court they were “ambushed” by a group of men who yelled “you dogs are going to die”.
Both Mr Adwanga and Mr Shong were questioned about their criminal history under cross examination and told the court they had been convicted for previous violent offences.
No jury in trial
On Tuesday, the trial restarted without a jury, after a successful application was made late last week by each of the defendant’s legal representatives for a judge-alone trial.
It came after the first jury was discharged three days into the trial for having prejudice against the defendants.
Legal representatives successfully applied for the trial to be judge-alone. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
Justice Lincoln Crowley found those jurors could not act impartially, after they told him they were “worried for their safety” upon possibly seeing some of the defendants in pubic during the court breaks.
In his reopening of the prosecution’s case, Crown Prosecutor Nathan Crane told the court it will be alleged the 12 men had travelled to the Zillmere park from Ipswich armed with bats, knives and machetes.
Mr Crane said they had a plan to “cause serious physical harm” to people they knew would be there.
“The group went to perpetrate serious violence,” he said
A small floral tribute was laid at the crime scene in Zillmere at the time. (ABC News: Dea Clark)
Mr Crane alleged the attack was motivated by “payback” for a “gratuitous” assault on the brother of four of the defendants, less than a week prior in Redbank Plains.
“It’s not opportunistic, it is deliberate,” he said.
Some of the defendants do not dispute that they were at the Zillmere scene, but their involvement and actions are contested, while others will challenge evidence that they were present.
The trial, which is set down for five weeks, continues.
