A father has forgiven the man who killed his son in an emotional scene inside a Sydney courtroom during a sentencing hearing related to the Wesley Dates stabbing.
Wesley Dates, 21, appeared at the NSW Supreme Court on Friday in prison greens. In February, a jury found him guilty of stabbing his footy teammate, 18-year-old George Woods, during a “sudden and chaotic” brawl in southwest Sydney.
The court heard that the incident occurred during a watching party for the 2023 NRL grand final. Mr. Dates and his older brother, Peter, were drinking bourbon and Cokes with friends when Mr. Woods and his friend, Joshua Ratu, arrived at the unit.
A fight broke out between Peter Dates and Mr. Ratu, leading Wesley Dates to produce a knife. Mr. Woods, who was a bystander, stepped in to attempt to break up the fight and was fatally stabbed.
Forgiveness in the Courtroom
More than 30 loved ones of the teenager attended the hearing wearing shirts reading “Justice for G.” During his victim impact statement, George Woods Senior spoke about the character of his son, noting that they had been discussing the teenager’s skill as a football player just three weeks before the stabbing.
In a moment of high emotion, Mr. Woods Senior addressed Mr. Dates directly to offer forgiveness.
“I can only rise and choose peace in myself. In saying that, I forgive you, not for his sake, but for me, and for myself, the universe has a way of working things out,” Mr. Woods Senior said, adding that he “had to lose everything in order to find forgiveness.”
The hearing began with tension as Judge Dina Yehia warned the public gallery to remain orderly after an outburst involving a loved one of Mr. Dates. The judge stated that any further outbursts would result in the gallery being cleared.
Defense lawyer Scott Fraser urged Justice Yehia to consider the possibility of rehabilitation, noting that Mr. Dates was “barely an adult” when the events occurred.
Acquittal of Peter Dates
In February, Peter Dates was acquitted by a jury after being charged with seriously harming Joshua Ratu, who survived the stabbing.
The trial revealed text messages Peter sent to a female friend approximately 30 minutes after the incident, in which he wrote, “We just stabbed c**ts,” and “I think we gonna get done for murder.”
Despite these messages, Peter told police and his mother that he was unaware Wesley intended to use a knife. He told investigators that he believed Mr. Ratu was “going to die” as Wesley “just f**king smashed him with it.”
Wesley Dates will be sentenced on May 15.
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