Sunshine Coast Teenager Found Guilty of Manslaughter
In a heartbreaking case of violence, a teenager who stabbed a 16-year-old boy to death during a fight on the Sunshine Coast has been found guilty of manslaughter. The 18-year-old, who cannot be identified, had been on trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane where he pleaded not guilty to the murder of Balin Stewart.
Balin died after being stabbed once in the heart by the teenager during a physical altercation outside his Buddina home in January last year. After hearing from dozens of witnesses, including friends of Balin's and his parents, who tried to save their son's life, a jury found the teenager not guilty of murder two days after retiring to deliberate.
However, they did convict on the lesser charge of manslaughter, finding that he did not intend to kill Balin. During the trial, the court heard that there were long-running tensions between the two boys in relation to a teenage girl, who witnessed the stabbing.
The accused took the stand in his defence last week and admitted he had been jealous of Balin but was adamant he only took a knife because he believed the 16-year-old would also be armed. He insisted he had not purposely stabbed Balin, testifying he did not realize he had the knife in his hand when he struck him.
The accused teenager also conceded he had previously told a friend he wanted to kill Balin, but claimed it was an empty threat. His lawyer argued there was no evidence her client had any intention to cause Balin's death and there was not a case for murder.
The prosecution's case was that the accused teenager had been the aggressor and deliberately plunged the weapon to kill him. When the verdict was read out, the accused teenager shook in the dock.
The now 18-year-old will be sentenced at a later date. He remains in custody until then.
The case highlights the ongoing issue of youth violence in Australia, and the importance of addressing underlying causes such as jealousy and rivalry. Our thoughts go out to Balin's family and friends during this difficult time.
