Overview

• Jurors viewed a pre-recorded police interview on July 4 in which a student witness described the immediate chaos following the courtyard stabbing.
• The witness recounted classmates fleeing into a storage cupboard and barricading the door after a pupil ran in shouting that someone had been stabbed.
• Testimony revealed the defendant habitually concealed a small axe and various knives in his trousers since joining the school.
• The 15-year-old has admitted manslaughter and knife possession while denying murder and arguing his actions followed prolonged bullying.
• The jury must decide whether the evidence supports a murder charge or the defendant’s loss-of-control defence.