Dau Akueng and Chol Achiek deaths: 13 witnesses to be questioned as prosecutors prepare cases against three adults, five children

More than a dozen people will face compulsory questioning in the coming months as prosecutors prepare their cases against eight males accused of a double murder. Dau Akueng, 15, and his friend Chol Achiek, 12, were allegedly ambushed and killed by a group associated with a Melbourne youth gang as they were walking home with a third boy in the evening of September 6 last year. Three adult men, Prince Conteh, 20, Abel Sorzor, 19, and Peter Addo, 19, and five juvenile males, who cannot be named due to their age, have each been charged with murdering the boys in the outer Melbourne suburb of Cobblebank. None of the accused men or children have been required to enter pleas. Mr Conteh, Mr Sorzor and Mr Addo appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court via video link on Tuesday afternoon as prosecutor Kristie Churchill SC applied to adjourn their cases. Mr Conteh and Mr Sorzor were each wearing a white T-shirt with a cross necklace, while Mr Addo wore a white button-up shirt and tie. Ms Churchill said the adjournment was being sought because prosecutors had been granted court orders to “compulsorily examine 13 witnesses” in court in late March and early April. She said prosecutors would need time after that to prepare transcripts of the witnesses’ testimony for each of the accused men’s lawyers. This was not opposed by lawyers for the trio and magistrate Stephen Ballek adjourned the cases until early May. In September last year, detectives initially charged Mr Conteh, Mr Addo and a teenage boy with allegedly murdering Chol and Mr Sorzor and four teenage boys with allegedly murdering Dau. But in January, Victoria Police announced all eight had been charged with both boys’ alleged murders. Prosecutors allege Dau and Chol, who were not connected with any youth gang, were killed simply due to them being young Sudanese males. It’s alleged the machete attack was in retaliation for the murder of Kon Hsu Sein, 18, eight months earlier in a Kurunjang brawl. Mr Sein was allegedly attacked by members of the GDG youth gang, made up predominantly by members of the South Sudanese community, on December 20, 2024. Five males have been charged in relation to Mr Sein’s death and it’s not alleged there is any connection to Dau or Chol. The five juvenile males charged over Dau and Chol’s deaths are expected to face a Children’s Court this week.