Two friends who were involved in a confrontation with a Werribee man on a Fitzroy street when he was fatally stabbed by a passerby last year have avoided jail for their role in his “senseless” death.
The Supreme Court heard last Wednesday that Shaun Wright, 21, became involved in a confrontation with Sydenham man Deyar Musa, 21, and Burnside woman Shewit Wubneh, also 21, after he threw a piece of wood at their car about 3.30am on March 17.
Justice John Dixon said there was no evidence of any damage to the car, but Musa wanted Mr Wright’s details for a possible insurance claim.
Mr Wright ran away when he was confronted by Wubneh and others.
He was later spotted near the Tankerville Arms Hotel in Johnstone Street, where Musa stopped the car and set off after him.
Musa and Wubneh again confronted Mr Wright and asked for his identification details.
The court heard that Mr Wright tried to get away from Musa, who had grabbed and punched him. Wubneh then kicked the lower part of Mr Wright’s body two or three times before picking up an umbrella and swinging it at him.
A passerby then attacked Mr Wright several times to the neck and body with a broken bottle.
Musa and Wubneh fled the scene after seeing that Mr Wright was bleeding.
Mr Wright collapsed on Johnston Street, where he later died. The cause of death was a stab injury to the neck.
The passerby has been charged with Mr Wright’s death and faces a separate trial.
Justice Dixon accepted that Musa and Wubneh, who pleaded guilty to affray and assault, did not intend, or cause, Mr Wright’s death. But he said the “pointless and tragic loss of life” that followed their conduct was “so easily avoidable”. “The confrontation you initiated did rapidly escalate out of your control and it resulted in the senseless death of a young man for failing to give you his particulars in relation to an incident where a hire car was not damaged,” he said.
Musa and Wubneh were both sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order and 100 hours of unpaid community work.
