At 17, Jack Beasley was a talented footballer with a bright future ahead of him.
But the young apprentice’s life was cut short after he was fatally stabbed in a violent knife attack on a busy strip in Surfers Paradise during a night out with friends on December 13, 2019.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Parole Board overturns decision to release one of Jack Beasley’s killers.
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For his parents Brett and Belinda, end-of-year festivities have never been the same since they were reluctantly thrust into the spotlight after their teenage son died that fateful night.
“This time of the year is always hard,” Brett tells 7Life.
As the parents ring in the New Year, they hold their heads high and continue to advocate for change in honour of their late son.
The past four New Years’ resolutions have been the same for the couple: To prevent other families from the same heartache they live with daily.
Brett continues to contact authorities around the nation to agitate for tougher laws on underaged knife possession — and he has no plans to stop making a “kerfuffle”.
Had such laws been in place before that night, it may have meant their son would still be with them today, he says.
Jack was just 17 when his future was stolen from him.
In her victim impact statement to the court, Belinda called the callous and vicious attack a single moment which “destroyed so many lives”.
Five teenaged boys, then aged between 15 and 18, were charged over the fatal stabbing.
At a judge-only trial in August 2022, two offenders, aged 17 and 20 at the time of the trial, were convicted over the crime.
The 17-year-old youth, who the court was told had “escalated the level of violence” by wielding the knife, pleaded guilty to murder. He was jailed for 10 years.
The court was told the 20-year-old man, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, took a “lead role” in the violence. The man was sentenced to seven years jail.
The remaining three accused were acquitted of manslaughter.
The court was told a fight broke out on out the front of a convenience store between the offenders and another group which included Jack.
Jack was stabbed once in the chest and his friend was also wounded in the altercation.
Taking the stand, friends of Jack burst into tears recalling the moment the fight broke out, with one describing “just blood everywhere”.
Addressing both offenders during her victim impact statement, Belinda said: “You ran away … and left Jack and (his friend) to die on the footpath with not a care in the world – what sort of people are you?”
Belinda added that the gruesome way in which Jack died has forever altered their lives.
Making change
As the trial drew to a close, the parents began to try to rebuild their lives without Jack.
Driven by their grief, they began The Jack Beasley Foundation – a non-profit foundation advocating for more education and change around youth safety and laws.
To keep Jack’s legacy alive, Brett and Belinda also challenged the Queensland legal system.
“It was crazy that underage kids could go into camping shops and just buy a knife,” Brett says.
It’s not just the availability of dangerous blades the Beasleys want changed — they want police, nationwide, to have the power to be able to randomly search individuals for weapons.
In 2021, the Queensland government placed age restrictions on the purchasing of dangerous bladed items.
And two years later, Jack’s Law was passed. Police in that state can now use metal detectors on streets in search for illegal weapons.
Since the roll out of Jack’s Law, Queensland Police have seized more than 350 weapons after using handheld metal detectors on streets and public transport.
“It took us 18 months to get it passed but it finally did,” Brett says.
“But I am using all of my contacts to make a kerfuffle and my ultimate goal is to make change nationwide.”
As Brett and Belinda continue to fight for change, they want to make Jack a household name to help protect the next generation and prevent parents from losing their children in the same way they lost their boy.
Parole
In December 2023, just days after the fourth anniversary of Jack’s killing, the Beasleys received a phone call they say was shocking.
The offender who was 17 at the time of Jack’s death had applied for parole, having served four years of his seven-year manslaughter sentence.
Brett and Belinda were notified they had 21 days to lodge a submission if they objected.
Brett was gutted that the system was even considering the possibility of supervised release.
But, just four days later, Jack’s parents say they were “blindsided” by an email stating that parole had already been granted, with offender due to be released in mid January, 2024.
“I was devastated,” Brett says.
“I didn’t even get the chance to put in a submission.”
Fuelled by anger, Brett and Belinda began “knocking on the door” of anyone in power they knew.
Ministers, police officers and government bodies were hounded by the Beasleys, armed with reasons why their son’s killer should not be released.
Brett believes the individual would offend again and, for the safety of the community, he should remain behind bars.
“Everyone was telling us we couldn’t do it, we couldn’t overturn the ruling — but we did,” Brett says.
On January 2, the Parole Board announced it reverse its initial decision — the offender was denied parole.
The couple’s pressure is thought to have been the reason behind the backflip.
Jack’s parents are happy for the Board’s change of heart but remain confused about the initial decision.
For them, it is another reason to keep pushing for change through The Jack Beasley Foundation.
And Brett’s “kerfuffle” is about to get a whole lot louder, as he continues to fight for tougher knife laws around the country.
