Thugs crash birthday and five attack best friend
AS a drunk and angry teenager picked up a fence paling lined with rusty nails, Jacob Kellett yelled at his friends to hide in the bathroom.
He'd already begged the teenager to put down a cricket bat.
And he watched in distress as boozed-up gatecrashers pulled out fence posts, threw pot plants and glass bottles around his family's small Yeppoon backyard.
But none of that compared to how helpless he felt as he watched five teenagers beat up one of his best mate's, belting him against a fence.
"I asked them all to leave," Jacob said.
"But he came into the garage and started laying into him, and my mate was just sitting there in a chair.
"They started picking up fence palings.
"I told my mates to hide in the bathroom, but he was running around the house looking for him.
"Others were out the front, and then they dragged him out and the others jumped in.
"It was five on one, beating him into the fence."
This is Jacob's version of events of his 16th birthday party, which turned horribly wrong on Saturday night.
Jacob said he sent out an invitation-only notice about his birthday to about 20 of his friends on Facebook, and about eight said they were coming.
His mother, Linda White, said the boys who were invited had known each other since primary school.
As she and her husband were going away for the night, Mrs White asked her 24-year-old daughter who is a school teacher, and her friend to keep an eye on things.
She also made a visit to police before she left, just to let them know her son was having a small birthday party.
Jacob said things went downhill when a taxi full of 10 to 15 other boys turned up.
Jacob's mate was taken to hospital by ambulance but was released with cuts, bruising and swelling to his face.
Police are still investigating the attack.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Yeppoon police on (07) 4939 0000
