[Epoch Times September 20, 2025](Reported by Epoch Times reporter Linda, Sydney, Australia) Seven Melbourne teenagers are currently in custody after being accused of murdering two boys who returned home after playing basketball, waiting for their next appearance in court.
It is said that on September 6, 12-year-old Achek (Chol Achiek) and his 15-year-old friend Akun (Dau Aqueng) On the way home from basketball, he was attacked by a group of masked men with machetes and other blade weapons in Cobblebank, a suburb of Melbourne.
Surveillance video shows that in the incident in the northwest suburbs of Melbourne, a boy was chased and pressed to the ground by three defendants, who shouted to a woman for help.
In the early morning of Friday (19th), police conducted a series of raids in seven suburbs in northern and western Melbourne, arresting and accusing seven teenagers of suspected murder.
A 19-year-old man from Thornhill, a 16-year-old man from Sunbury, a 15-year-old man from Hillside and a 16-year-old man from Sydenham were charged with murder of Akun.
A 19-year-old man from Caroline Springs and an 18-year-old man from Wollert are charged with responsibility for Achek’s death.
Two other 19-year-old men and an 18-year-old man appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, before being remanded to custody, and will appear again on December 12.
For legal reasons, four other minor defendants cannot be named. They appeared in a children’s court and were also remanded to custody and will appear again on February 16.
The court learned that some defendants were detained for the first time, and several others expressed concerns about the safety of a unit in the juvenile detention center.
The Magistrates said the investigation of the murder was quite complicated and pointed out that the police needed to collect a large amount of information, including testimony and video.
Akun grew up in an apartment near Collingwood, where he played and served as a referee at the Collingwood Basketball Association. Later, after the family moved to the western suburbs of the city, he joined the Wolfpack Basketball Club.
Achek’s father told the mourners during the vigil that his son was a member of the Nile Warriors Basketball Club and was a peaceful child who was loved by everyone.
The deaths of the two boys caused a huge shock in the Victorian community, and police increased patrols in the area.
Victoria Police Assistant Chief Martin O’Brien believes that Achek and Akun should have had a long life, but died early at the beginning of their lives.
The families of the two deceased mourned the loss of their loved ones and were heartbroken.
In response to the death, the Victorian government reconvened a working group of South Sudanese-Australian judiciary experts.
Editor-in-charge: Yang Fan
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