‘Absolutely senseless’: 13-year-old on bail allegedly kills Sydney father on his way home from work

A 13-year-old boy allegedly killed a Sydney father on his way home from work, stabbing the man twice as he assisted a group of young people stranded outside a suburban railway station.

The boy, who cannot be legally identified, is accused of murdering Joshua Smith, 36, near the Mount Druitt Westfield and train station shortly before 9pm on Friday, in an attack allegedly witnessed by 12 young people.

Smith, a father-of-three from Sydney’s west, was targeted after he stopped in the transport precinct to speak to a group of young people he recognised as family friends, Mount Druitt Police Area Commander Darrin Batchelor said.

He went to withdraw cash from a nearby ATM for the children, who needed money to pay for their trip home, when he was attacked. He was stabbed in his torso and died at the scene.

“Another group of young people took offence to the conversation the 36-year-old male was having with those young people, and as a result of that we now stand here with that 36-year-old murdered,” Batchelor said on Monday.

“In my 30-year career of policing, I find this absolutely senseless.”

Detectives used CCTV of the attack to identify the 13-year-old, who was arrested when he arrived at Mount Druitt police station on Sunday night to report as part of his bail conditions for a separate offence.

Investigators said the boy was already in breach of his bail at the time of the attack. He was charged with murder, breach of bail and an additional charge of robbery that was unrelated to Friday’s stabbing.

Police are treating the attack as random, saying the group’s meeting with the victim was a chance encounter.

A second boy, 16, was arrested in his home in Cabramatta, in Sydney’s south-west, at 8pm on Sunday. He was charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact to an offence. Detectives recovered the knife allegedly used to kill Smith from a drain outside the 16-year-old’s apartment, Batchelor said.

The boys spent Sunday night in custody, ahead of appearing in a children’s court on Monday.

Smith has been remembered as a dedicated father and caring friend in tributes posted online. Lauren Partridge, a friend of Smith and his family, called the loss “devastating”.

“Josh was [a] character, he made people smile, laugh and most of all lived for his children, he will be forever missed,” she wrote on a public fundraising page organised on Sunday.

“Joshua Smith was a hardworking dad whose life was suddenly and tragically taken. He leaves behind three beautiful children who have lost their dad far too soon.”

Another member of Smith’s family paid tribute on social media: “You had so much more life ahead of you, and it hurts knowing that was taken away.”

At least two other young people present during the attack are expected to be charged, Batchelor said. Police are aware of their identities and addresses, and are preparing the arrests.

“We will say that they were allegedly involved in [the] assault of the victim on Friday night, so those two individuals, who we know, we suggest they hand themselves in as soon as possible,” Batchelor said.

The investigation is continuing as detectives work to determine the circumstances leading to the attack and probe any gangland links.

The man killed on Friday was believed to be known to police, according to Blacktown Police Area Command Superintendent Brendan Gorman.

“It’s a horrendous incident, concerning for police,” he said.

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