Perth man accused of murdering Cassius Turvey denied bail as trial date set

Warning:This story contains the name and images of a deceased Indigenous person,which have been reproduced with the family’s consent.

The man accused of murdering Perth teenager Cassius Turvey has been denied bail as the mammoth trial against him and his three co-accused is set down for 2025 – 2½ years on from the attack.

Jack Brearley,22,allegedly bashed his 15-year-old victim with a metal pole after chasing a group of children in school uniforms through a reserve,with Cassius picked off for being the slowest.

Jack Brearley (bottom left) was denied bail over the alleged murder of Cassius Turvey (top left).

Jack Brearley (bottom left) was denied bail over the alleged murder of Cassius Turvey (top left).Supplied

Brearley,along with co-accused Mitchell Forth,Aleesha Gilmore and Brodie Palmer,had allegedly been on a violent vigilante mission to find out who had smashed Brearley’s car windows four days earlier when Cassius was attacked after school in Middle Swan in October 2022.

He died in hospital 10 days later from bleeding on the brain,sparking a nationwide outcry of grief,with vigils held for the schoolboy across Australia.

On Monday,Brearley had his application for bail denied after Supreme Court of Western Australia Justice Natalie Whitby found he did not meet the exceptional circumstance required for a person charged with murder to be granted bail.

His parents,who were present in court,declined to speak to media after the decision was handed down.

All four accused have pleaded not guilty to murder and remain in custody.

Their trial has been set down to run for eight weeks from February 2025 with each accused person represented by a separate lawyer.

It will involve CCTV evidence,eyewitnesses and recorded police interviews with the four accused people.

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Heather McNeill is the deputy editor and chief reporter at WAtoday.

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