Inside the 'campaign of violence' waged in Weston skatepark brawl reprisals

This is just a snapshot of what the ACT's chief magistrate has called "a campaign of violence" against some of the people charged over a deadly brawl at the Weston skatepark in September last year.

The Canberra Times has obtained a document that was tendered to the ACT magistrates and children's courts last week, when six people were sentenced over their involvements with the wild melee.

The document lists, across 10 pages, details of reprisal attacks that were directed at both adults and children following the fight.

All of the targets were on the opposite side of the incident to an 18-year-old man who was stabbed to death, allegedly by a boy who will next year stand trial accused of murder.

After reading the list of the reprisals, Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker said she was satisfied "unknown persons" had "waged a campaign of violence" in search of retribution.

Some of the most alarming incidents involved an underage defendant, who allegedly drove some of the offenders to and from the scene of the skatepark brawl. Her court case is ongoing.

Ms Walker said this girl had been subjected to "a campaign of vilification, stalking and property damage".

The girl received abusive messages on social media late last year, when she was also followed by a group of young males from the Canberra Centre to her mother's car.

She was then assaulted in a public toilet in March, the document shows, a month before a string of incidents that began with someone smashing the windows of her bedroom and car.

MORE COURT AND CRIME NEWS:

Two knives were left behind after this, including one that had been stuck in the passenger seat of the vehicle.

Also in April 2021, the girl was assaulted by a woman and threatened by a man in the ACT courts precinct.

"Capsules" were left in her mother's letterbox within days of that incident, according to the document, which does not elaborate on what these items were.

In the final incident relating to the girl that month, a window at her home was smashed and a rock found on her mother's bed.

Nearly two months went by before a brick, wrapped in paper, came through their dining room window.

On one side was an abusive message, which referred to the girl as a "f---ing filthy animal" and a "PIECE OF SHIT".

On the other side were pictures of the girl, along with a chilling threat to "make sure you can never drive a car or see anything again" unless she told "the truth".

Many of the other incidents occurred at the home of adult brawler Montgomery Cole White, whose family has suffered losses of more than $30,000 as a result.

In one of them, in December 2020, a car belonging to White's father blew up after someone set fire to a rag that was hanging out of a fuel container placed underneath the vehicle.

The teenager's father replaced this car with one that was subsequently hit with a brick in April this year.

A vehicle belonging to White, 19, was then targeted in June.

In the early hours of one morning, a person using a detergent bottle poured fuel over the utility and set it alight, causing an explosion.

The car was written off, White's work tools destroyed, and the driveway it was parked on "seriously damaged".

Following this incident, the White family employed private security to protect them and their home.

The family ended up moving out after a short period in which the security guards reported four "drive-bys", involving cars suspiciously stopping outside or passing their home.

Ms Walker remarked, as she sentenced White, that his suspended four-month jail sentence would have been six months if not for the reprisals.

An offender who cannot be named because of his age also received a more lenient sentence in light of reprisals directed at him.

There were three incidents at the home of this teenager, who escaped without a conviction after he admitted being knowingly concerned in an affray.

One of them involved a fuel container being thrown over the fence at his place on Christmas Eve, around the same time a car was set alight at the house next door to that of the alleged killer.

The boy accused of murder was also allegedly assaulted by members of the deceased teenager's family at a Civic cafe after a court appearance in February.

The courts have heard many of these incidents have been reported to police and that they remain under investigation.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: