The teenage brother of a notorious ex-Hells Angels bikie died after a “thuggish group attack” on the Gold Coast while his “coward” attacker fled and left him to die alone, a court has been told.
Jarvis Jai Farrier, Harrison Geppert’s attacker, sat solemnly as he appeared via the Brisbane Supreme Court’s video link on Monday during a sentencing hearing for the fatal stabbing attack on the teen in September 2019.
Mr Geppert’s mother, Lisa, revealed her heartbreak at losing her 17-year-old son to the unprovoked assault and how she changed from the mother of “nine beautiful children” to a mum of eight in the “blink of an eye”.
“I am an empty shell, broken … I cannot be put back together,” the Brisbane Supreme Court was told.
Farrier, 21, was initially charged with Mr Geppert’s murder but last year pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Farrier’s family sat quietly in the public gallery throughout proceedings.
The court was told the fatal fight unfolded in Frascott Park at Varsity Lakes on September 4, 2019.
Mr Geppert and Farrier, then 18, had been close friends until a falling out in 2018.
Crown prosecutor Mark Green said Mr Geppert and one of Farrier’s friends began fighting when the groups saw each other.
Farrier ran up behind Mr Geppert during the brawl and stabbed in the back with a 9cm Marine “folding knife”.
The parties then scattered.
“It was a thuggish group attack … (and) cowardly attack … entirely unprovoked against an unsuspecting teenager who was simply walking along the path,” Mr Green said.
Triple-0 was called but Mr Geppert could not be revived.
Farrier later handed himself into police.
Mr Green said Farrier claimed he saw Mr Geppert produce knuckledusters during the brawl but there was no evidence to support this.
“However, given the defendant’s statements to the undercover officer the crown cannot exclude his beliefs that the deceased was armed,” Mr Green said.
He said a strong deterrent was needed due to the danger of “young thugs” arming themselves with the intention of assaulting “defenceless people going about their business”.
Mr Geppert is the younger brother of Ben “Notorious” Geppert, a former enforcer with the Hells Angels outlaw bikie gang.
“Rest in paradise Harry Geppert. I love you my little brother! I love you more than anything regardless of the things that have gone on in our family your (sic) still my blood and I promise I won’t rest till (sic) I have made this person pay,” he wrote on social media after learning of thxjmtzywe incident.
David Funch, Farrier’s defence barrister, said his client had armed himself as Mr Geppert had previously messaged him pictures of a knife.
The court was told Farrier had a supportive family but things went downhill in his teenage years.
“He started consuming drugs, mostly marijuana, and mixing with teenage groups that have this tendency of carrying weapons,” Mr Funch said.
“He started carrying a knife because someone pulled up to him with a knife.”
Mr Funch said his client regularly had nightmares about the fatal day and was “profoundly” remorseful.
Justice Elizabeth Wilson will sentence Farrier on Tuesday.
