An 18-year-old has been charged with murder following the fatal stabbing of a man by a machete-wielding group amid plans to ban the weapon.
Timothy Leek was stabbed to death near the Marriott Waters Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s southeast on the night of Friday, March 14.
The 24-year-old victim from Clyde was in a Lyndhurst car park when up to 10 men ambushed him, some carrying machetes.
He was taken to hospital, where he later died.
Victoria Police arrested an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy in Doveton on Friday.
Homicide detectives interviewed them and the 18-year-old was charged with murder.
He will face Melbourne Magistrates Court later on Saturday.
The 17-year-old boy was released pending further inquiries.
Forensic investigators were seen examining a car following the attack last Friday
CCTV footage shared by the Herald Sun depicted men running across the street last Friday
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen announced a proposed machete ban at a Victorian Police Headquarters presentation last Thursday
Mr Leek was the fourth person killed in a machete-related murder in Victoria in the past six months.
The Victorian government moved laws in state parliament this week to ban the sale and possession of machetes from September 1 to combat their rising use.
The state opposition said it would move to amend the government’s legislation to make the machete ban immediate.
‘We need to make sure that we don’t see the murder that we saw on Friday night again with machetes on our streets,’ Opposition Leader Brad Battin said last week.
‘We need to make sure that families aren’t waking up and seeing young offenders in their house with machetes.’
