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The family of a teenager killed with a screwdriver when a birthday party gatecrasher drove it eight centimetres into his brain say they want his attacker to “rot in hell”.
The 18-year-old killer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced the Supreme Court of Victoria on Monday after previously pleading guilty to the manslaughter of 17-year-old Jason Langhans.
Jason Langhans’ mother, Carolyn, and sister Emma at a press conference in 2021.Credit: Scott McNaughton
Jason, an apprentice plumber and keen fisherman, was acting as a peacemaker at the gatecrashed 16th birthday party in Tooradin, a coastal town about 57 kilometres south-east of Melbourne, when he was struck in the head in March 2021, prosecutor Jane Warren told the court.
He died three weeks later in hospital.
His attacker was also 17 at the time. He was originally charged with murder but later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Family and friends described Langhans as a kind and caring son and friend who had his life taken away in one fell swoop.
Jason Langhans was acting as a peacemaker at a party when he was fatally assaulted.Credit: GoFundMe
“Who takes a screwdriver to a girl’s 16th birthday party?” grandparents Cheryl and Peter said in their victim impact statement.
“We wish [his attacker] nothing but pain and suffering for the rest of his life. May he rot in hell.”
Jason’s father, Paul Langhans, wept as he told the court how he begged doctors to “save my boy”.
“I watched him take his first breath when he entered the world and watched him take his last,” Langhans said.
“My heart is shattered.”
The court heard the attacker, referred to as JN, had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoid schizophrenia. He had drank half a bottle of vodka and smoked cannabis before attending the party uninvited, armed with the screwdriver.
He later drove the screwdriver almost eight centimetres into Jason’s head.
Psychiatrist Rajan Darjee told the court JN’s intoxication, coupled with his PTSD and paranoid schizophrenia, was not a good mix.
The court also heard of the teen’s early life in Afghanistan, his arrival at the Christmas Island detention centre and his poor experience at school once he moved to the mainland.
Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth remanded JN in custody to be sentenced on August 24.
AAP
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