Teens charged after father trying to do good deed allegedly stabbed to death
A father-of-three was taking money out of an ATM to help young family friends get home before he was allegedly set upon by a group of young people he didn’t know, leading to his death.
Joshua Smith, 36, was talking to acquaintances he knew in Mount Druitt in Sydney’s west on Friday night before he became the victim of an alleged attack from another group which left Smith with two fatal stab wounds, police say.
Smith was allegedly set upon by a group of people he did not know. 9News
A 13-year-old boy has been charged with his murder, while a 16-year-old has been charged with accessory to murder.
The pair will remain behind bars after being refused bail when they appeared before a children’s court on Monday.
Superintendent Darrin Batchelor admitted he was shocked by the random nature of the alleged stabbing.
“Absolutely senseless,” he said of the alleged attack.
“Here you have an individual… on his way home from work, purely stopped to talk to friends he knew, and this group, including this 13-year-old male, took offence to that.
“And we now have that male, who is a family man with children, he is now dead.”
The two boys were allegedly part of a larger group of people.
Police said Smith was at an ATM trying to withdraw cash; it is believed Smith was going to give it to his younger acquaintances to help them get home.
“Another group of young people took offence to the conversation that male was having with those groups of people, and as a result of that, we now stand here today with that 36-year-old male now [allegedly] murdered,” Batchelor said.
“He was doing a good deed. He went to an ATM to withdraw money so these young people could get home safely,” Batchelor said.
The confrontation near Westfield Mount Druitt spilled onto Cleeve Close around 9pm, where the fatal attack unfolded.
CCTV captured the confrontation.
Emergency services were called to Cleeve Close in Mt Druitt after a man was allegedly stabbed. 9News
The vision appears to show a group of several males walking along a street before a man threw a punch and was attacked by three others in retaliation.
Batchelor said the 13-year-old, who was known by police, was identified by detectives, which helped lead to his arrest on Sunday.
The boy was taken to Mount Druitt Police Station, where he was charged with murder, breach of bail and an unrelated robbery offence.
The 16-year-old was arrested at a home in Cabramatta, with police finding a knife in a drain near a Cabramatta unit.
“Though it still has to be forensically tested, we are confident that’s the knife that was used in the offence,” Batchelor said.
The 16-year-old boy was taken to Cabramatta Police Station. He was charged with murder – accessory after the fact to an offence.
The older boy is accused of helping the fellow teen change his appearance.
After the stabbing, two teens were allegedly spotted on CCTV at Mt Druitt train station, where the 13-year-old was carrying a jumper he had previously been wearing.
Superintendent Darrin Batchelor said he was shocked by the alleged circumstances surrounding Smith’s death. 9News
The sleeve of the jumper had blood from the stabbing, a prosecutor told the children’s court.
After allegedly giving up his jumper to hide the blood, the older teen allegedly provided a second set of clothes later in the evening to help disguise the younger boy.
“He hasn’t involved himself in any of the assault,” lawyer Ben Willcox said.
“When the police arrest him, he goes with them willingly.
“He hasn’t previously been found guilty of any (violent) offence.”
But Judge Marguerite Vassall found the 16-year-old posed an unacceptable risk of committing a further serious offence, given he had been on a good behaviour bond.
She refused bail.
The younger teen did not apply for bail.
Batchelor said he was saddened by the impact Smith’s death would have on his family and the local community.
“His family is obviously distraught, as you’d expect. A family has lost a father, a son, a brother, and now they will have to live a future without their father, these children,” he said.
“He was there doing a good deed to help young people get home.”
The two teens will next appear in court on October 23 for another bail application.
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