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A boy in a group of teenagers who allegedly talked of “going to bash a paedophile”, before luring the victim to a fake date and killing him, has claimed he did so to help a potential victim, his lawyer says.
Oliver Conroy, 27, believed he was meeting up with a date when he was allegedly assaulted by the group of teenagers in Kelvin Grove, in Brisbane’s inner north.
The teenagers are accused of assaulting Conroy and stealing his BYD Shark 6 vehicle about 10.30pm on July 24. He died about a fortnight later in hospital.
Seven teenagers, five boys aged from 15 to 17 and two girls aged 14 and 15, were each charged with murder.
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Under new “adult crime, adult time” laws introduced by Queensland’s LNP government, the group face life sentences.
One of the boys, aged 15, applied for bail last week, and was released on Thursday by Judge Anthony Rafter.
In handing down his decision, Rafter said the evidence suggested the teenager was actively involved in the attack, and that it was a “prolonged and brutal assault”.
The court heard Conroy was allegedly pulled from his car, but managed to hold on to the roofrack, before being flung from vehicle, and dragged.
The teenager’s lawyer, Ria Ku, told the court there had been a discussion about “a potential victim being targeted by a paedophile”. Police have not alleged Conroy believed he was meeting with an underage person.
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“My instructions are that my client had come in place of genuine assistance, but then as things panned out, the matter escalated,” Ku said.
Ku said a recording showed the teenager had taken part in the assault, but that did not imply that he had driven the car. The court heard the boy was a rear seat passenger.
She said her client disputed the allegation by the prosecution that he was the primary offender.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Greg Cummings said in the lead-up to the attack there was a throwaway line from one person about “going to bash a paedophile”.
“But the recording from the actual events and the statement from the victim demonstrates that right from the beginning it was a violent attack in order to steal, nothing to do with altruistic purposes whatsoever,” Cummings said.
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The court was still waiting to receive the autopsy report to determine Conroy’s cause of death, Cummings said, and it was unclear whether he had died from the assault injuries, or from being flung from the car.
Cummings said the prosecution was not in a position to say whether the injuries inflicted in the initial assault, in which the teenager was “definitely involved”, were those that caused the death.
The court heard the teenager had no criminal history, was not on bail at the time of the alleged offences.
On bail, he would be fitted with an electronic monitoring device, with a 24-hour curfew at his home, unless for approved purposes. His mother also offered a $40,000 surety.
In his decision, Rafter said the boy came from a good home, with his mother working as a youth worker.
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“The evidence indicates that [the teenager] was actively involved in a plan to rob the deceased and take part in prolonged and brutal assault on the deceased,” Rafter said.
Rafter said the teenager was allegedly involved in punching and kicking Conroy before the group got into the vehicle, while Conroy tried to hold on to the roof.
He said the vehicle could be seen braking and accelerating to remove Conroy.
“The deceased may have died from injuries sustained in the initial assault or as a result of being run over by the rear wheels of his own vehicle, or a combination of both,” Rafter said.
“The deceased was ultimately dislodged from the vehicle and dragged some distance. The pattern of injuries indicates he was run over by the vehicle.”
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Rafter said the prosecution case of the teenager’s alleged involvement appeared to be “very strong, if not overwhelming”.
Rafter said he was satisfied the risks could be ameliorated by the boy’s curfew, no contact conditions, not taking any drugs or alcohol, surrendering his passport and not travelling overseas or interstate, and the electronic monitoring device.
The boy’s family were in court and appeared relieved when he was granted bail.
The case will return to court in October.
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Cloe Read is the crime and court reporter at Brisbane Times.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement