‘No one protects my family’: Devastated dad’s pleas after teen son’s stabbing death

Warning: graphic content.

Police are investigating whether stabbings that killed two boys within metres of each other in a suspected youth gang attack were a case of mistaken identity.

Homicide squad detectives are investigating after 12-year-old Chol Achiek and Dau Akueng, 15, were fatally stabbed in Cobblebank, near Melton, just before 8pm on Saturday.

The deaths come after bins were recently installed around the state for people to surrender machetes and large blades, which are now banned.

Police believe the two incidents, which occurred about 150 metres apart and on separate streets in the small suburb, were targeted attacks and connected.

Elbino Akueng, the father of 15-year-old Dau, said his son was walking home with friends after refereeing a basketball game when he was attacked on Saturday night.

Akueng said he was at work when he found out two children had been killed in Cobblebank. When he frantically called his son’s phone, there was no answer.

“I’m talking on behalf of my community – this is happening to us. In the last month, we have buried four kids, similar incidents keep happening, but there’s no answer from police,” he said.

“I need answers for my son. My son is just gone like this – he was a basketball player, not a criminal.”

Chol’s father, Chuti Ngong, described his son as clever and active.

“He is a good boy. Very clever, very intelligent. He is always active,” Ngong told Nine News.

“I know all the kids are equal, but sometimes there is one child that touches your heart.”

Ngong also said he wanted justice for his son who was the second youngest of seven children.

“As a father, number one, I want to know who killed him and, after that, I want to know about justice - will it work or not?” Ngong told Nine News.

“Police haven’t come back and talked to us as parents. We want to know the next step….we want justice for our son.

“Where are they getting the guns? Where are they getting the knives? The government needs to find out where these weapons come from….we need to stop the source of these harmful weapons.”

Chol’s uncle Jacob Ayol said Chol was a brave and active boy.

“We want safety for our kids,” Ayol told Nine News.

“That is what the dream is in everyone’s heads. This is Australia. The most advanced country in the world. We want our kids to be safe. That is what we want the most.”

Emergency services were first called to Marble Drive to find the 12-year-old with critical injuries. A short time later, another boy was located on Cobble Street with horrific injuries. Despite efforts to save their lives, both boys died at the scene.

Mr Akueng, who works as a security guard, said he was dismayed by the lack of police action after incidents of teens wielding knives and machetes in the area.

“I protect people where I work, but no one protects my family at home,” he said.

Neighbour Christopher McFarlane was having a games night with friends when his dog started growling at loud noises outside the home.

Looking out the front window, he could see about eight people wearing ski masks getting into a large SUV, all brandishing machetes and long knives.

“I was just feeling pure terror, wondering like, ‘What are they going to do?’ You have no idea in that moment what’s going to happen,” he said.

McFarlane called the police after the group left but then heard the desperate screams of a neighbour calling for help as someone had been bashed in the front yard.

“We’d gone out there to have a look, but we could see the guy was just not moving at all, and his hand was completely severed from his arm,” he said.

“It’s just devastating. Stuff like this doesn’t happen here; it’s a good area. I feel sorry for the parents and what they’re going through right now … it is a horrible thing.”

Aboil Alor, a friend of the Akueng family, spoke through tears as she remembered the kind boy whom she would drop off at home after basketball.

“He was a very good child, and he deserves better,” she said. “Where are the police?”

In CCTV of the incident seen by this masthead, a group of three people clad in dark clothing can be seen chasing a person, before he falls to the ground at the corner of Marble Drive.

The trio can then be seen attacking the figure as he struggles on the ground. The attackers then run off as the victim screams and attempts to get up.

A minute later, a young woman comes to the boy’s assistance and attempts to flag down passing cars using the torch on her phone.

Jatinder Singh, who lives near where the 12-year-old boy was slain, said she and her children were too scared to step out of their home on Sunday after the “devastating” incident.

“It’s very shocking, [my children] would not sleep on their own last night,” she said. “It’s usually quite a safe neighbourhood.”

Detective Inspector Graham Banks said the fatal incidents were linked to the same offenders. He said witnesses and CCTV vision indicated that a large group of male offenders who appeared to be wearing masks were involved.

They fled in a car that police had not yet identified on Sunday afternoon. Police are looking for up to eight offenders.

“Whilst the investigation is in its early stage, it has the hallmarks of a youth gang crime,” Banks said. “It is one of the most horrific crimes in a substantial and growing list of crimes of this nature.”

Police believe the children who were killed were not gang members. Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward, including anyone with dashcam footage of the incidents.

Dau was lovingly remembered by the Collingwood Basketball Association, where he played at representative level in the Victorian Junior Basketball League.

“Dau played in the same age group as my son, and I have had him in my car many times this season. He was a much-loved member of our club and community,” Collingwood Basketball Association general manager Trent Pearson said on Sunday.

“He was a highly talented player and referee with a cheerful personality who touched all those he interacted with over many years.”

Paul Burke, chief executive of the Les Twentyman Foundation, said that while Victoria’s machete ban was a positive step towards curtailing youth stabbings, root causes of such attacks including poverty, poor mental health and disconnection from community also needed to be addressed to stop young people slipping through the cracks.

“At a time when many are celebrating family on Father’s Day, these lives have been tragically cut short – a heartbreaking reminder of the pain that youth violence inflicts on us all,” he said.

Senior government minister Lily D’Ambrosio said her sympathies were with the families of the boys.

“These are truly despicable crimes, and we support the police to do everything they can to investigate these horrendous crimes and get to the bottom of what happened,” D’Ambrosio said on Sunday.

She said new bail reforms and machete laws were making a difference and there was an increase in alleged offenders being remanded.

Opposition Leader Brad Battin said more needed to be done to stop knife crimes.

“Too many Victorians have been victims of crime. Last night, two more Victorians were tragically added to that tally,” Battin said in a statement on Sunday.

“When we talk about the crime crisis, we can never lose sight of its human cost. These are not just statistics, they represent lives lost, families shattered, and communities forever changed.

“Together, we can change this. And we must.”

With Roy Ward

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit an online confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

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