Teen Accused of Stabbing Thomas Tran to Death Granted Bail Due to ‘Epileptic Fits’ During Sleep

September 24, 2020

The suspected killer behind the June Eaton Mall stabbing in Melbourne, Australia has been allowed to sleep at home while on bail.

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That night: On June 29, Melbourne police arrived at around 8 p.m. after a call about a gang fight on Atherton Road. Thomas Tran was found unarmed on the scene and despite attempts to revive him, he suffered a fatal injury. Having been stabbed three times, one punctured his heart.

The accused killer, Lindim Aliti, 18, was one of about 20 young men who were involved in the massive fight.
Tran was reportedly walking to the gym and called his cousin, Fiona Tran, about half an hour before everything went down.
Thomas’ girlfriend and family members were in tears after learning of what happened and called for an end to gang violence, according to ABC News.
Thomas had “dreams becoming a personal trainer, and was ‘really a good person,'” his girlfriend, Trisha Nguyen, told 9 News via the Daily Mail.

The decision: Aliti was charged with murder but was granted a $600,000 bail, among other restrictions, and released from prison on Tuesday.

Due to his pre-existing health condition, Aliti’s lawyer argued that his client “was prone to epileptic fits during his sleep and was at risk of death if he remained in custody,” according to the Australian Associated Press via Young Witness.
Aliti “refused to sleep alone in a prison cell” and argued to Victoria’s Supreme Court that he shared a room with his brother or grandfather, who could act if he “suffered a potentially-fatal fit,” according to A Current Affair.
Former Chief Magistrate Nick Papas QC told the Australian news program that while it was uncommon to post bail on a murder charge, the court determines when to do so: “Exceptional circumstances need to be shown.”
Amie Tran, Thomas’ mother, was weeping and heartbroken over the verdict, saying “It’s not fair.”
“How their side is saying that he could possibly die in custody is really insensitive to our situation,” Nguyen said.
Aliti is set to return to court on Dec. 18.

Featured Image (right) via @SamCucchiara9

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