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A 19-year-old man has admitted taking part in a wild skatepark brawl and assaulting another teenager, who was later stabbed to death in the same incident. Montgomery Cole White came clean in court on Tuesday about his involvement in the September 2020 fight that left an 18-year-old man dead at the Weston skatepark. White pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to common assault and affray, with the deceased teenager named as the victim of both counts. White is not accused of killing the 18-year-old. He also admitted a charge of intentionally damaging a mirror on a car belonging to the deceased’s father during the incident. White is one of nine people charged over the fatal brawl, with five children and four adults before the courts. Police have alleged that the violence erupted on September 26 after “aggressive and abusive Snapchat communications” that resulted in two teenagers agreeing to meet at the skatepark for a fight. One of them is said to have arranged for the deceased man, who was his cousin, to drive him and two others to the altercation. Meanwhile, the other boy travelled to the skatepark with a car load of people that included a 16-year-old who would later be charged with murder. More people turned up, too, according to police, after a call also went out for “back up” at the fight “in case things went south”. In documents previously tendered in court, police said a brawl broke out between the rival groups when they met at the skatepark. A machete, rake, shovel and pick-axe were allegedly used as weapons during the melee, with White identified in court documents as the person armed with the shovel. By the time the violence had subsided, an 18-year-old man was dead on the ground with multiple stab wounds. His cousin, a 16-year-old boy, had also been injured. Two days after the incident, White and three others attended Woden Police Station and spoke to investigators about the 16-year-old boy who was ultimately charged with murder. According to court documents, White described having seen the boy lift up his shirt and briefly remove a knife from his pants after the fight, saying: “I shanked him”. Police later seized clothing and other items from the 16-year-old boy, with interim tests revealing that blood found in areas including the waistband may belong to the deceased. After White pleaded guilty to his charges on Tuesday, the court heard there was some dispute over where he should be sentenced. Time was allocated for legal argument to occur in July, when White’s barrister John Purnell SC will push for the case to remain in the Magistrates Court and prosecutor Rebecca Christensen will say it should be committed to the ACT Supreme Court. The cases of the eight others charged over the incident have reached various stages and will return to court on an array of dates. The 16-year-old boy accused of murdering the deceased, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
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A 19-year-old man has admitted taking part in a wild skatepark brawl and assaulting another teenager, who was later stabbed to death in the same incident.
Montgomery Cole White came clean in court on Tuesday about his involvement in the September 2020 fight that left an 18-year-old man dead at the Weston skatepark.
White pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to common assault and affray, with the deceased teenager named as the victim of both counts. White is not accused of killing the 18-year-old.
He also admitted a charge of intentionally damaging a mirror on a car belonging to the deceased’s father during the incident.
White is one of nine people charged over the fatal brawl, with five children and four adults before the courts.
Police have alleged that the violence erupted on September 26 after “aggressive and abusive Snapchat communications” that resulted in two teenagers agreeing to meet at the skatepark for a fight.
One of them is said to have arranged for the deceased man, who was his cousin, to drive him and two others to the altercation.
More people turned up, too, according to police, after a call also went out for “back up” at the fight “in case things went south”.
In documents previously tendered in court, police said a brawl broke out between the rival groups when they met at the skatepark.
A machete, rake, shovel and pick-axe were allegedly used as weapons during the melee, with White identified in court documents as the person armed with the shovel.
By the time the violence had subsided, an 18-year-old man was dead on the ground with multiple stab wounds. His cousin, a 16-year-old boy, had also been injured.
Two days after the incident, White and three others attended Woden Police Station and spoke to investigators about the 16-year-old boy who was ultimately charged with murder.
According to court documents, White described having seen the boy lift up his shirt and briefly remove a knife from his pants after the fight, saying: “I shanked him”.
Police later seized clothing and other items from the 16-year-old boy, with interim tests revealing that blood found in areas including the waistband may belong to the deceased.
After White pleaded guilty to his charges on Tuesday, the court heard there was some dispute over where he should be sentenced.
Time was allocated for legal argument to occur in July, when White’s barrister John Purnell SC will push for the case to remain in the Magistrates Court and prosecutor Rebecca Christensen will say it should be committed to the ACT Supreme Court.
The cases of the eight others charged over the incident have reached various stages and will return to court on an array of dates.
The 16-year-old boy accused of murdering the deceased, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
