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A New South Wales court has heard an intense rivalry between two Casino teenagers resulted in a 17-year-old being stabbed to death
A teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with murder and intent to cause grievous bodily harm after allegedly stabbing two people during a brawl outside a Casino KFC outlet in May 2022.
A trial began on Monday in the Coffs Harbour Supreme Court before Justice Hamnet Dhanji where the accused has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The matter is being heard without a jury following a successful application by the defence due to concerns the prevalence of high-profile stabbing events may influence a jury verdict.
During opening statements, defence solicitor Jason Watts said the accused had acted in self-defence during the brawl.
The court heard that the rivalry began when the 17-year-old who died began a relationship with a female teen who had a casual relationship with the accused for several years.
Crown prosecutor Brendan Campbell said the deceased had taken issue with the accused's alleged treatment of his partner during the period they dated.
"Whether or not that is true or not, the deceased certainly thought it was," Mr Campbell said.
After learning of the alleged mistreatment, the court heard the deceased issued several public challenges to the accused to fight him "one on one".
The court heard that in the days prior to the brawl a group attempted to confront the accused at his family home, where the deceased used a scooter to smash the front window.
While the accused was not home at the time of the incident, he later travelled with a group to find and confront the deceased, to no avail.
"There's a significant amount of agitation among young people in Casino now," Mr Watts said.
Altercation described as 'giant dogpile'
The violent melee at a Casino KFC started on the afternoon of May 29, 2022, after the deceased discovered the accused was eating at the restaurant with friends.
The Crown and prosecution agreed the deceased then arrived at the restaurant shirtless and armed with a pair of knuckle dusters, before challenging the accused to a fight.
The court has heard the accused, who has been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, was mostly silent during the encounter, until his companion initiated the brawl by striking the deceased with a guitar capo.
The brawl spilled out into the restaurant's disabled car park, where multiple teenagers joined the fray.
The court heard the fight ended after the accused produced a knife, stabbing one teenager before stabbing the deceased multiple times in the neck and throat.
"[Producing a knife] was not an unreasonable response. It's only fractions of a second and centimetres. If he was hit with knuckle dusters it could have been a very different result," said defence solicitor Jason Watts.
The court heard that the incident has had a significant impact on the mental health of witnesses.
The Crown confirmed that two witnesses had died since the incident, including one who was fatally stabbed in a separate incident.
Another witness opted not to give evidence at the trial due to concerns it could impact his mental health.
The court will hear from witnesses including the accused's foster mother.