Patrick Slater was killed on Australia Day, 2016.
Camera IconPatrick Slater was killed on Australia Day, 2016. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Patrick Slater’s killers lose bid to appeal convictions

AAPEastern Reporter

A GROUP of nine males jailed over the violent death of a 26-year-old man near a Perth train station hours after Australia Day celebrations have lost their bids to appeal their convictions and sentences.

Patrick Slater was assaulted with makeshift weapons including a star picket and a pole in the early hours of January 27, 2016, and died moments after he was stabbed through the heart with a screwdriver, which pierced his aorta.

Five men – Christopher Birdsall, Dylan Anthony, Clinton Mead, his brother Stefan Mead and Robert Pickett – were found guilty of murder after a trial in WA’s Supreme Court and sentenced to minimum terms ranging from 16 to 18 years.

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Two juveniles, who cannot be named, were also convicted.

The older juvenile was jailed for 12 years for murder, while the younger was sentenced to four years and six months in detention for manslaughter.

A boy who was aged 11 at the time of the killing and was also part of the group was dealt with separately in the Children’s Court.

The boy, who also cannot be named, was one of the youngest, if not the youngest child to be charged with murder in Australia.

He was ultimately convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to four years in detention.

Birdsall, who at 29 was the oldest at the time of the crime, appealed his sentence, which was the longest.

Clinton Mead, Anthony and Pickett challenged both their convictions and sentences.

The older juvenile and Stefan Mead appealed their convictions.

But they were all dismissed in the WA Court of Appeal on Tuesday.

Much of the mayhem was captured on CCTV but the 50-second fatal assault, which happened after Mr Slater was chased, was not.

The screwdriver and other weapons were found dumped at the nearby Elizabeth Quay construction site.

Supreme Court of WA Justice Peter Martino said he could not determine who dealt the fatal blow.