A teenager who fatally stabbed 15-year-old Solomone Taufeulungaki and bragged about it to impress gang members has been jailed.
The teenager, who can only be referred to as ST for legal reasons, was sentenced to two years in jail for the manslaughter of Solomone, near the Deer Park library in Melbourne's west on June 16, 2020.
Solomone, known to his friends as Solo, was set upon by 10 attackers and punched, kicked and struck with a baseball bat as he lay defenceless on the ground.
But the Victorian Supreme Court heard it was a single stab wound inflicted by ST that ultimately claimed Solomone's life.
The 9.5-centimetre paring knife was found next to Solomone's body, and ST's DNA was later found on the handle.
Prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams said ST later told friends, "I poked him bro", in reference to the stabbing.
"A day after the incident … [ST] admitted he had stabbed Solomone and said that he did so 'for the gang'," Mr McWilliams said.
Mr McWilliams said ST later recanted, saying the stabbing was accidental and that he had brandished the knife "only to scare" Solomone.
Supreme Court judge Mandy Fox sentenced ST on Friday to two years in a youth prison for his offending, however he will be able to walk free in June next year, having already spent more than 230 days in custody.
Justice Fox said ST's prospects of rehabilitation were good, but was concerned he continued to maintain relationships with the same friends from the time of the attack.
"There is little evidence of genuine remorse in this case," she said.
"The most aggravating feature of your offending is there were 10 of you and one of him … Solomone was defenceless."
"The circumstances of this incident are sadly becoming more common. Teenagers are bringing knives to fights with the tragic result that young people are being killed."
ST, who is now 18 and was supported in court by his father and two other family members, remained emotionless as the sentence was read out.
The court heard his family had come to Australia as refugees. He was a good student until his behaviour went off the rails in high school and he began taking drugs, drinking excessively and skipping class with friends.
The local Pasifika community was rocked by Solomone's death, but despite the horrific events that transpired his deeply-religious parents vowed to forgive those responsible.
The court heard the Year 10 student, one of 11 children, enjoyed going to church twice a week and had dreams of playing rugby for the All Blacks.
"His loss cannot be described in words," his mother Salome said in a victim impact statement, read out on her behalf.
"We not only lost a loving son, but we lost a best friend. We loved him so much," she said.
The court heard there had been simmering tensions between two local gangs in the lead-up to the killing.
Members of one gang had accused Solomone of being a member of their rivals – a claim he said was untrue.
On the day of the attack, Solomone and his friends were chased by gang members in Deer Park but managed to escape.
They were picked up by a friend's mother who was going to drive them home, but diverted to the Brimbank Shopping Centre when they heard that another family member was being hassled by the gang, the court heard.
Solomone was spotted by the group and attacked, unable to outrun them.
ST's lawyer Richard Edney said his client had no prior criminal history before the incident, and had shown remorse in the aftermath.
Mr Edney said his client later told a youth worker: "I wish it never happened. It was never worth it".
Most of the youths involved in Solomone's attack were underage, meaning they cannot be identified as their cases have gone through the Children's Court.
One of the older ringleaders, Taata Tafa, pleaded guilty to violent disorder last year and was sentenced to nine months in prison. Tafa was able to walk free, having already served that amount of time in pre-sentence detention.
Tafa, who used a baseball bat to strike Solomone, was 20 years old at the time of the attack.
