Man accused of Valley station stabbing murder granted bail
A man accused of murdering a young father during a brawl in a Fortitude Valley shopping centre and railway station has been granted bail.
Seyram Kwami Djentuh, 21, was not required to appear before Brisbane Supreme Court for his bail application on Wednesday, but numerous supporters of his alleged victim, 24-year-old Lauie Michael Tagaloa, were in court.
Djentuh was charged with fatally stabbing Mr Tagaloa in the neck with a pair of scissors at theĀ Valley Metro complex in the inner Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley about 4am on July 11.
The hearing was shown a 10-minute compilation of security camera footage from various locations that depicted multiple verbal and physical confrontations between Djentuh and Tagaloaās friends as well as the alleged fatal blow being struck.
Djentuhās barrister Matthew Hynes told the bail hearing that his client had taken a ādefensive measureā when he obtained a pair of scissors from a convenience store following an initial interaction between the groups outside a kebab shop.
ā(Djentuh) asked the cashier ādo you have a back door?ā ā¦ He takes the scissors and puts them down the back of his pants. He gets caught and he pays for them,ā Hynes said.
āHe was asked by the cashier why had he had scissors in his pants. He replied āthere are guys waiting outside to stab me, thatās why I stoleā.ā
The crown prosecutor said Djentuh was the only person involved in the brawl who had armed himself and he took steps to conceal the scissors.
ā(He) voluntarily approached the group a second time. He could have walked away but he didnāt. The moment the confrontation escalates, he produces the scissors,ā the prosecutor said.
āThis was not someone acting out of fear.ā
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Justice David Boddice said Djentuh was a flight risk as there was āno greater motivation to fleeā than a potential mandatory life sentence. But it was also possible that a jury might accept the argument of self-defence or a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Boddice said Djentuh had no criminal record, had been employed full time and had strong support from his family.
Djentuh was granted bailĀ on a $20,000 surety.
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