Four teenagers sentenced to almost 20 years each after stabbing and stomping defenceless boy to death in Reservoir

Four teenagers have been jailed for murdering a defenceless 16-year-old boy in a frenzied and brutal Melbourne street attack.

Declan Cutler was walking alone down a dark street in the city’s north when he was kicked, stomped on and stabbed by a group of eight boys in March 2022.

He had just left a party in Reservoir and became separated from his two friends when a stolen Mazda pulled up alongside him about 2.30am on 13 March.

The group of boys hurtled out of the car and pounced on Declan, stabbing and kicking him as he lay on the nature strip.

Declan Cutler’s mother sobs as four boys found guilty of murdering teenage son in Melbourne street attack

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The group got back in the car after the two-minute attack and drove off, before returning to stomp on him again and remove his shoes.

Declan bled to death on the ground after suffering 152 injuries, including 56 stab wounds and 66 blunt force injuries.

The entire attack was captured on CCTV.

The Victorian supreme court justice Rita Incerti in February found four of the attackers – known under the pseudonyms SA, DM, QDM and SY – guilty of Declan’s murder.

She handed down their sentences on Wednesday morning, describing the attack as a frantic two minutes of “incalculable inhumanity”.

“Words fail to describe the shocking brutality on a defenceless teenager,” Justice Incerti told the court.

“The footage will forever haunt anyone who has seen it.”

The boy known as SA was jailed for 19 years with a non-parole period of 14 years, while QDM will be behind bars for 19 years and six months.

He will be eligible for parole after 14 years and six months.

SY and DM were also jailed for 18 years and 17 years and six months respectively, but each will be eligible for parole after 12 years.

Incerti recommended all four of the boys – currently aged between 17 and 20 – to remain in youth justice detention until they turn 21.

The Adult Parole Board will meet on Wednesday afternoon to decide whether to follow that recommendation.

The four boys did not react as their sentences were handed down.

Incerti noted two of the teens were on bail at the time of the deadly attack, while all four have been charged with further offences over incidents in custody.

The judge found SY and DM had reasonable prospects of rehabilitation, while QDM and SA’s prospects were problematic.

She reminded the teens the Parole Board would consider their progress and behaviour in custody before granting them parole once eligible.

“You will not be automatically released,” Incerti said.

Declan’s mother Samantha Cutler cried throughout Wednesday’s hearing but did not speak to media outside court.

The 16-year-old’s father Bryan Beattie was not at the sentence but previously pushed for an end to knife crime, saying his son deserved justice.

The boys’ co-accused, who was aged 13 when Cutler was killed, walked free from court on 20 September after he was found to be too young to be held criminally responsible for the murder.

Three other members of the group were jailed a week earlier for their roles in the killing.

A 16-year-old boy, who was 14 at the time of the attack, was jailed for up to 15 years after pleading guilty to murder.

Two 18-year-olds, who were 16 when charged, were handed youth detention sentences of three-and-a-half and four years.

SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jul/24/declan-cutler-murder-melbourne-party-resevoir-teen-attackers-jailed-ntwnfb