A Brazilian man has been jailed for nine and a half years for brutally attacking a Pakistani student in Perth, Australia.
Eduardo Santos Abrahao Filho admitted intentionally causing grievous bodily harm to Ms Ahmad in May last year and was sentenced in the West Australian Supreme Court.
Justice Bruno Fiannaca said the cause of their confrontation remained a mystery given the only version of events came from Filho.
The court heard the pair were together that night but when Ms Ahmad became distressed and started screaming, Filho put his hand over her mouth in a bid to silence her.
He hit her head against the ground and she fell down two sets of stairs during the struggle.
Filho fled the scene when witnesses arrived.
Justice Fiannaca said although the brutal and unprovoked attack was out of character and not in the worst category of offending, it was not far below it.
Filho's decision to flee was cowardly and callous, and panic was not an excuse.
"You showed no regard for her condition."
In a letter, Filho described his actions as despicable and said his attempt to stop Ms Ahmad from screaming was grotesque.
Filho must spend at least seven-and-a-half years in prison before he can be eligible for parole and is then expected to be deported.
"It will be devastating for the parents to see their child who was happy and smiling and now in such a state that she can’t move.”
Professor Samina Yasmeen from the University of Western Australia in Perth says she was extremely saddened by this news.
“It is such a horrific crime.
"It will be devastating for the parents to see their child who was happy and smiling and now in such a state that she can’t move.”
Professor Yasmeen told SBS Urdu that nobody could have predicted such an outcome.
“It is definitely safe for students to visit and study in Australia. What they can further do is to make sure they make friends with not just students from other backgrounds but also Pakistani students, so they are at a median and comfortable with the environment.”
According to Dr Zarrin Seema Siddiqui, President of 'Pakistanis in Australia' (a community organisation based in Perth) the verdict has been received with mixed responses among community.
"While some members are upset that the sentence is too short, others are satisfied that an outcome has been achieved within fourteen months.
On behalf of Pakistani in Australia, we share the pain that the family of Mehreen Ahmed is going through, however at the same time, the sentence is also in line with the verdicts related to one punch attacks and in most of the cases we have observed five to nine years.
We also need to be mindful of the remorse and that it was not a planned attack yet a life is at stake for a wrong action and no sentence can compensate for that ever."
