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It was the first Christmas after Victoria's punishing Covid lockdowns and Colin Sheean thought life couldn't get any worse for his young family.
His wife Natalie had suffered a cardiac arrest a month earlier, aged just 38, and had been on life support ever since.
asserted
wife → see → support
Doctors tried everything to save her but in the early hours of Christmas Eve 2021, she died, leaving behind Colin and their three children: Mason, Chanel and Faith.
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she → try → Colin
Those that knew 'Cozza' rallied around him as he struggled to support his devastated children, aged between six and the mid teens, while also dealing with his own grief.
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he → know → grief
Five years later, Mr Sheean, 41, was riding his scooter home when he saw three teenagers allegedly acting suspiciously in a Langwarrin street in Melbourne's south-east around 12.20am on Saturday.
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teenagers → rid → Saturday
Moments later, he was lying in a pool of blood.
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he → lie → blood
Those teenagers are now accused of breaking into a car and stabbing Colin twice when he went to intervene.
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he → accuse → Colin
He remains in an induced coma in Melbourne's Alfred Hospital while loved ones and horrified strangers do what little they can to support his family.
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they → remain → family
Colin and Natalie Sheean in happier times
On Tuesday, a GoFundMe fundraiser had raised more than $140,000 and continues to rise.
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fundraiser → raise → 140,000
The target had only asked for $30,000.
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target → ask → 30,000
A similar fundraiser to help him when his wife died raised $3,000 more than its intended target of $10,000 too.
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wife → help → 10,000
But throughout it all, Colin never put his hand out.
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Colin → put → hand
'All who know Cozza and the Sheean family know that he is always the first one to reach out and help anyone in need but is also far too proud to ever ask for handouts, regardless of circumstances,' the fundraiser organiser said.
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organiser → know → circumstances
Ms Sheean grew up in Hampton East in Melbourne's inner south, and was among the first of her 'Brighton High Friendship group' to get married and have a baby.
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Sheean → grow → baby
She was remembered as a simple girl, who had enjoyed getting away to the bush around Yarrawonga in Victoria's north as a little girl.
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who → remember → girl
On the New Year's Day after her death, her daughter Chanel sent her mum a heartbreakingly stark message on the website of Tobin Brothers funeral directors.
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daughter → send → directors
'Hi Mum, I love you so much,' she wrote.
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she → love → you
Natalie Sheean (left) had died suddenly in 2021, leaving Colin to fend for the kids alone
The couple had been the first of their friends to marry
When Ms Sheean's funeral took place on January 6, 2022, Colin sat nervously hoping mourners would be able to participate.
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mourners → die → January
Victorians had only recently come out of former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews' world record lockdown which had put crowd restrictions on funerals.
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which → come → funerals
It so happened that on that very day, limited restrictions were reinstated in response to a fresh surge from the Omicron variant.
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restrictions → happen → variant
While the funeral went ahead as planned, mourners were required to show proof they had been double vaccinated.
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they → go → proof
Natalie's service started with the Celine Dion ballad Because You Loved Me and ended with Easy On Me by Adele - a track about good intentions and high hopes.
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You → start → intentions
On Sunday, a 17-year-old accused of stabbing Mr Sheean allegedly texted his father saying the father of three had tried to stop them
'
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father → accuse → them
He was a hero, he tried to fight me so I had to stab him,' he allegedly wrote.
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he → try → him
'The knife was stuck inside him …
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knife → stick → him
I tried to rip it out but he fell and screamed.
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he → try → it
'
Natalie Sheean had been a devoted mum when her life was tragically cut short
Police arrested two 16-year-old boys and a 17-year-old boy over the attack, who faced the Children’s Court on Sunday night.
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who → cut → night
Two were held in custody while the third was granted bail.
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third → hold → bail
The court heard the 17-year-old boy allegedly punched and stabbed Colin in the back and chest, leaving the knife embedded.
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boy → hear → knife
One of the teenagers is accused of calling emergency services after the attack, claiming he had been assaulted by drunk men with a stick but refusing to provide his name before hanging up, the Herald Sun reported.
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Sun → accuse → name
Police were unable to reach him when they called back and subsequently contacted his mother.
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they → reach → mother
The court heard that the teenagers allegedly exchanged Snapchat messages and text messages to discuss hiding, turning themselves in and attempting to blame the victim.
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teenagers → hear → victim
Police used phone tracking technology and the dog squad to find one of the 16-year-olds in Langwarrin, before officers later executed a search warrant at a property and arrested the other 16-year-old.
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officers → use → old
Officers later arrested the 17-year-old at a home.
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Officers → arrest → home
Colin Sheean is fighting for life after he was allegedly stabbed
One of the teenagers who allegedly attacked Colin Sheean
-
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who → fight → Sheean
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you → need → Download
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Mail → launch → podcast
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podcast → gain → prison
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Mail → launch → podcast
Major Events Minister Anthony Carbines said on Sunday it was 'a disgraceful and violent attack'.
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it → say → Sunday
He added: 'Everyone deserves to be safe and to feel safe, and I’m pleased police made swift arrests to bring people before the courts to be held to account.'
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police → add → account
The Aporia
