Cassius Turvey murder trial: WA’s Supreme Court told accused Jack Brearley admitted to cops he ‘lost control’

WARNING: CONFRONTING DETAILS One of the men accused of murdering Cassius Turvey admitted to police he “lost control” and “stepped” on the teenager’s head but claimed he was acting in self-defence. Jack Brearley also claimed the 15-year-old attacked him first and was “slashing” at his leg during a struggle between the pair in bush land in Middle Swan on October 13, 2022. Mr Brearley made the allegations in an arrest video that was shown to the WA Supreme Court on Wednesday. Mr Brearley is on trial along with his then girlfriend Aleesha Gilmore, Brodie Palmer and Mitchell Forth for killing Cassius who died from bleeding on the brain 10 days after he was hit on the head with a metal pole. The trial has previously been told a few days before Cassius was attacked, Mr Brearley’s car windows had been smashed in retaliation for an alleged attack on another teen, which Mr Brearley, Ms Gilmore, Mr Forth and another man, Ethan MacKenzie, are also on trial for. The trial has also been told Cassius was among more than a dozen teenagers who had gone to the oval in Middle Swan to watch a fight that had been organised on social media between Ms Gilmore’s younger brother and two other teens. In the body-worn camera footage which was recorded before Cassius died, Mr Brearley immediately tells the arresting officer that he can “tell the full story right now” before proceeding to point out lacerations to his legs which then claimed were made by the Indigenous teenager. “There’s my leg,” he says in the footage. “I admit I stepped on his head and stuff. “He stabbed me before. “(They were) already coming for my house. “I watched that bus . . .20 kids “They all arced up. I went ‘mate you’re messing with f...ing adults. “These c.... came to the car… telling me to get out. They all had knives and stuff. “I was the one injured.” Mr Brearley then claimed someone cut Ms Gilmore’s wrist during the incident. But the trial has been told Ms Gilmore inflicted the wounds to her wrist herself after an argument broke between her and Mr Brearley after the alleged attack. “She got her wrist cut,” Mr Brearley claimed. “He cut her as well. “That’s what happened. He then said: “He stabbed me first.. three times, four.. across my leg. “I was attacked first. “I shouldn’t have gone for that kid. He fell over with that knife. He was slashing my leg. I just went for his head. I lost control but that was in self-defence.” A few hours later, Mr Brearley admitted in a police recorded interview that he punched Cassius in the head while he was holding his head down with his foot and maintained he followed the kids after being told around 20 were headed to his house with weapons. “They’re going to run through my house, bash my missus ... what am I supposed to do?” he told officers in the interview. “I admit, I punched him max twice while my foot was on him then I left. “Someone... chucked the kid the knife and he slipped in the creek.” Mr Brearley told officers that if someone pulls a knife they are “gonna wanna properly use it” before again claiming Cassius attacked him. He then also claimed he was “scared because I thought he stabbed me.” More than 40 witnesses have given evidence in the trial so far, most of whom have been children. Some have testified they brought a knife to the oval that day, including one who said he gave it to a teenager after a man named Jack grabbed a pole from the back of the ute and took a swing at his friend. None of the witnesses have testified to seeing the Cassius with a knife. The trial continues.