Teen-aged Australian attackers of Indian set free

MELBOURNE - Two teenaged brothers, detained for less than a year over a brutal attack on a group of Indians which left one of the victims in a coma, have been relieved from facing further detention.

The two brothers, aged 17 and 18, will not spend any further time in custody, a judge of the Victorian county court ruled Wednesday.

The teenagers were sentenced to 12 months youth detention last year over the December 2008 convenience store attack in Melbourne’s west that left a 27-year-old Sukhraj Singh in a coma for 15 days.

The brothers were released early on parole, AAP reported.

The court said while the sentence was lenient, the brothers’ rehabilitation would be impeded if they were detained again.

“I consider that the sentencing orders imposed were lenient for what can only be described as serious offending in the circumstances,” the judge said, adding that the youths were remorseful for the attack.

Director of public prosecution had appealed against the last year’s sentence given by the children’s court and appealed the county court to sentence the older brother to two-and-half years’ and the younger to two years’ jail term.

However, chief crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert, SC, termed the appeal as “manifestly inadequate”.

The public prosecutions did not insist that the attack was racially motivated. Though, the judge said that the victim would continue to suffer from the bashing.

“The effects on him have been profound and this is a serious example of the offence,” the judge said.

According to the prosecution, the younger brother made a racist comment and started the attack in which seven other Indian men were also injured.

The brothers pleaded guilty to intentionally and recklessly causing serious injury.

Four other people, who were also involved in the attack, have already been sentenced by other courts.