Jack Ledlin is accused of killing a worker at the Seaford train station by stabbing him.
A court heard that an argument at a train station that led to the alleged stabbing death of a young tradesman may have started because someone stole a beer 11 months earlier.
A Melbourne court has heard that a fight over a stolen beer that happened 11 months ago may have led to the death of a young tradesman in front of his ex-girlfriend.
Cam Smith, a 26-year-old carpenter, died soon after Jack Ledlin allegedly stabbed him in the heart on November 25, 2020, near the Seaford train station in Melbourne’s south east.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Victorian Supreme Court heard that Mr. Smith and his ex-girlfriend, who had broken up months before but stayed friends, were walking toward Seaford beach after eating pizza together nearby when a fight broke out.
Ledlin, who is 21 years old, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder.
Jane Warren, the prosecutor, told the court that Ledlin and Scarlett Taylor, his girlfriend, started to be mean to Mr. Smith and his girlfriend as they walked past them after dinner.
Ms. Warren said that Ms. Taylor called Mr. Smith’s ex-girlfriend a “slut” and a “fat bitch,” and that Ledlin told Mr. Smith to “f**k you” and “keep walking.”
The prosecution said that Ms. Taylor started abusing the two because of a fight she had with the alleged victim’s ex-girlfriend 11 months earlier at a New Year’s Eve party over a “stolen drink.”
The court heard that Ledlin and Ms. Taylor were at the beach drinking with two other men when the fight started.
Wednesday was the first time that the court saw video of Ledlin swinging at Mr. Smith with a knife in his hand. When Mr. Smith falls to the ground, there are loud screams from women.
Ms. Warren said that Mr. Smith’s wound went through his left and right ventricles and broke his sternum. She also said that he was dead when an ambulance arrived, even though people tried to bring him back to life.
Michael McGrath, a lawyer for the defense, said that the case would come down to a question of intent.
Mr. McGrath told the jury, “Just because you killed someone doesn’t mean you meant to kill them.”
“Mr. Ledlin only got involved because he wanted to help a friend,” he said.
The trial, which is happening in front of Justice Ross Champion, is expected to last until Monday.
