Trio convicted of hunting and murdering Victoria teen Nicholas Henry
- Trio that pleaded guilty to manslaughter learns fate
- Nicholas Henry died after being stabbed eight times
- Judge described trio’s attack as ‘random and chaotic’
- They smiled and hugged each other after hearing their sentences
After being chased through the streets of a country town, Nicholas Henry jumped out of his van and tried to run.
But the 18-year-old didn’t stand a chance.
The three men, who forced his van off the road to track him down, beat up Mr Henry after he fell to the ground.
As he lay there, defenseless and alone, the group took a knife and stabbed him to death in Morwell in Victoria’s Gippsland region in February 2021.
Brothers Corey and Brayden Smart and friend Abraham Abas, all pleading guilty to manslaughter, learned their fate at the High Court in Melbourne on Thursday.
Prosecutors could not determine which of the three men wielded the knife, but all pleaded complicity.
Nicholas Henry was 18 when he was stabbed to death by three men in Morwell
Corey Smart (second from right) was sentenced to eight and a half years on Thursday. The judge told the court that Corey played the ‘most significant role in the offense’
The group’s attack was “random and chaotic” and lasted less than a minute, Judge Jane Dixon said.
“It was clear that Nicholas Henry was well loved by family and friends,” she said.
“The heavy loss of a young man’s life… is a terrible thing.”
The group was motivated by revenge, believing that Mr. Henry had previously broken into Corey’s girlfriend’s car outside an RSL on February 20, 2021.
Corey Smart gathered his brother and Abas and drove them to hunt for Mr. Henry, who lived in his van, found him, and then followed him through Morwell.
He forced Mr Henry’s van off the road, it drove into a gutter and crashed into a fence in Buckley Street.
Mr. Henry got out and tried to flee, but the three men chased after him and began attacking him as he fell to the ground.
“You dog, you rat,” a neighbor heard one of the three offenders shout.
They stabbed him eight times in the back, thigh and buttocks, causing him to bleed profusely.
He was taken to hospital, where he died a few hours later.
Justice Dixon found that the three killers had had troubled childhoods, including Abas whose mother fled Sudan with him after his father and grandmother were killed by rebels.
She said their rehabilitation prospects were good and their IOUs were “very valuable” as they had avoided a four-week trial.
Nicholas Henry was chased by Morwell in southeastern Victoria in February 2021 before being cornered and surrounded by three men who stabbed him eight times
She jailed Corey Smart for eight years and six months for playing the “most significant role in the crime.”
His brother and Abas each received seven and a half years in prison.
Corey Smart is eligible for parole after five years, while his brother and Abas can apply for parole after four years and six months.
They have each served more than two years and four months.
The three men smiled and hugged after hearing their sentences, as supporters outside the courtroom told them ‘goodbye’ and ‘love you guys’ as they were escorted by custody officers.