Melbourne skinheads jailed over Asian student brick attack

Wayne O'Brien, aged 20, and Shannon Hudson, now 21, committed a deplorable and unforgiveable attack on their smaller victim who they jumped as he was walking home alone from a Moonee Ponds 7/Eleven store where he worked.

The victim, a 21-year-old Vietnamese international student, was listening to music on his iPhone when attacked unawares on June 27 this year.

During the ferocious 10-minute bashing he was called names including a "yellow dog", but Supreme Court judge Justice Betty King today said the bashing robbery was only partially racially motivated.

Justice Betty King gives her reasons for punishment (*.mp3)

The victim was punched in the face and, after toppling over a garden fence, was pinned down and punched and kicked.

After he handed over his phone, O'Brien and Hudson dragged him down and bashed him again.

"He was terrified and believed he was going to be beaten to death," Justice King said in sentencing.

The victim was dragged by his legs into the street and punched and kicked some more, and was also stabbed with a sharp weapon.

"Eventually (he) lost consciousness and lay in the gutter," Justice King said.

"Despite that, it would appear that the assault continued."

In what the judge described as a "particularly chilling episode of violence", Hudson picked up a loose brick from the ground and, after raising it above his head in both hands, brought it down on the man's head.

"The brick itself broke in half," Justice King said.

The victim was left lying unconscious and shirtless in a pool of blood.

"You (O'Brien) described Hudson hitting (the victim) over the head with a brick as being like a sledgehammer and you said the assault would have lasted about 10 minutes, during which you just felt anger," Justice King said.

When police later asked O'Brien about motivation for the attack, he replied: "Because we’re all skinheads… But I’ve never gang bashed someone. Like never seen someone bricked and I’ve never seen someone like so close to f---ing death."

The student suffered skull, face and spinal fractures, severe swelling to his brain, multiple lacerations.

He received stab wounds and lost several teeth.

"The beating that he was given was remorseless, violent and sustained," a disgusted Justice King said.

"This is appalling behaviour."

The judge said O'Brien and Hudson were not fully understanding of their so-called skinhead mentality that stemmed from a group known as the Crazy Whiteboys.

"I am of the view that a lot of your discussions and talk about skinheads and white supremacy, and your Heil Hitler signs, were not really understood by either of you," Justice King said.

"They merely demonstrated young men who for some reason are angry, not just at those from another country but at the world at large.

"Whilst all sorts of psychiatric names and conditions are attached to all of this anger and rage, at some stage our society needs to work out why there are so many angry and unhappy young people, particularly males.

"The consequence of all of this anger and rage is appalling violence."

Both O'Brien and Hudson, who had led dysfunctional upbringings and experienced drug and alcohol abuse, pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious injury.

O'Brien, who had no prior convictions, received a maximum 4 ½ year-term with a 2 ½ year minimum.

Hudson, who has a history of violence and has been classed a very high prospect of re-offending, was handed a maximum 10 ½ years' jail with an eight-year minimum term.

Originally published as Skinheads jailed over brick bashing