Teens face sentencing for wedding brawl
The angry pack of teenagers storm towards the entrance of the riverfront cafe with frightening speed and a swell of solidarity.
A sea of punches and kicks are thrown as they clash with the emerging wedding guests, some of the blows struck as victims lay defenceless on the ground.
Bricks and bottles are hastily turned into missiles and guests are forced into retreat as they are pelted by the mob when they try to help the bleeding and unconscious partygoers who are injured on the pavement.
Screams of panic can be heard, punctuated by at least one guest shouting vulgar racial abuse.
Even when the violent brawl appears to have been quelled, one teenager returns to dump the contents from a wheelie bin and hurl it at the cafe's windows.
The bin bounces back lamely on to the ground.
The terrifying scenes outside the wedding reception of a Perth couple at the Point Walter cafe in Bicton a year ago this weekend were revealed in footage played over two days in Perth Children's Court this week.
Seven boys and one girl, aged 14 to 16 at the time, are facing sentencing this month.
Each face charges of making threats and doing an act that endangered the life, health or safety of another.
A ninth teenager has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The CCTV footage, played before Children's Court President Judge Denis Reynolds, showed the melee that left seven wedding guests injured after the angry mob of about 40 teenagers descended on the celebration.
The brawl was sparked after one of the teenagers approached a guest and asked for a cigarette.
The footage shows the older man shoving the teenager, whose stance was not aggressive, with enough force to knock him off his feet and into a garden bed.
The incident, which led to the man being fined $500 for a charge of assault, prompted the mob to rush at the man and then the entrance to the cafe.
A mobile telephone recording, also played to the court, captured screaming and sounds of panic outside the party. It also recorded a guest yelling racial abuse at the teenagers, at one point saying: "F… off, you black c…."
The eight teenagers will be sentenced this month.
