00:00 A grieving family arrives at court, 16 months after an act of senseless violence.
00:08 16-year-old Declan Cutler was stabbed to death in Melbourne's north as he left a friend's
00:12 party.
00:14 The Supreme Court heard eight teenagers from a gang in the city's west arrived, looking
00:18 to fight members of a rival group.
00:21 Declan wasn't a gang member, but he was set upon, knocked to the ground, kicked and stabbed
00:27 in a frenzied attack.
00:29 He died on the footpath.
00:32 The youngest member of the gang was just 13 years old and is facing trial for murder.
00:37 He can't be identified for legal reasons.
00:40 Graphic security footage was played to the court, showing the group surrounding Declan
00:44 and repeatedly kicking and stabbing him over a two-minute period.
00:49 Prosecutors say his attackers then left him for dead and drove away to Melbourne's western
00:54 suburbs.
00:55 Today, prosecutors told the Supreme Court the 13-year-old was responsible for the death,
01:01 even though he didn't have a knife or inflict the fatal injuries.
01:05 He knew it was morally wrong to engage in the conduct, Prosecutor Christy Churchill
01:10 told the court.
01:11 The 13-year-old's lawyers say he admits kicking Declan, but argue he isn't guilty of murder.
01:17 He was afraid, he followed along, but he did not carry a knife and did not cause the boy's
01:23 death.
01:24 The judge-only trial continues before Justice Rita Inserti.
01:28 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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