Four teens have been jailed for murdering a defenceless 16-year-old boy in a frenzied and brutal Melbourne street attack.
Declan Cutler was walking alone down a dark street in the city’s north when he was kicked, stomped on and stabbed by a group of eight youths in March 2022.
He had just left a party in Reservoir and became separated from his two friends when a stolen Mazda pulled up alongside him about 2.30am on March 13.
The group of boys hurtled out of the car and pounced on Declan, stabbing and kicking him as he lay on the nature strip.
The group got back in the car after the two-minute attack and drove off, before returning to stomp on him again and remove his shoes.
Declan bled to death on the ground after suffering 152 injuries, including 56 stab wounds and 66 blunt force injuries.
The entire attack was captured on CCTV.
Victorian Supreme Court Justice Rita Incerti in February found four of the attackers – known under the pseudonyms SA, DM, QDM and SY – guilty of Declan’s murder.
She handed down their sentences on Wednesday morning, describing the attack as a frantic two minutes of “incalculable inhumanity”.
The boy known as SA was jailed for 19 years with a non-parole period of 14 years, while QDM will be behind bars for 19 years and six months.
He will be eligible for parole after 14 years and six months.
SY and DM were also jailed for 18 years and 17 years and six months respectively, but each will be eligible for parole after 12 years.
Justice Incerti recommended all four of the boys remain in youth justice detention until they turn 21 when they will be transferred to an adult prison.
The boys’ 13-year-old co-accused walked free from court on September 20 after he was found to be too young to be held criminally responsible for the murder.
Three other members of the group were jailed a week earlier for their roles in the killing.
A 16-year-old boy, who was 14 at the time of the attack, was jailed for up to 15 years after pleading guilty to murder.
Two 18-year-olds, who were 16 when charged, were handed youth detention sentences of three-and-a-half and four years.