A Melbourne man with an extensive criminal history was allowed to walk free last week after a judge sentenced him to 80 days' imprisonment, with time already served, for his involvement in a violent April 2023 assault in Richmond.
Ali Sari, 24, was among a group who entered a Punt Road apartment on the night of April 26, 2023, and participated in an attack on the occupant, identified in court documents as Mr. Neil. The assault followed an incident the previous night in which Mr. Neil, the occupant, had allegedly placed his hand near the genitals of another man in the group, 19-year-old Wol Akot, prompting an earlier confrontation.
According to a published court judgment, Akot and two others returned to the apartment the next evening at about 7:38 p.m., armed with knives, forced Mr. Neil inside and carried out much of the sustained assault. The court found that during the evening Mr. Neil was struck with a hammer, hit with a spoon and an electrical cord, repeatedly punched and kicked, and had sections of his braided hair cut out. One of the assailants was recorded on a phone call heard by those at the scene saying, "We've got him" and "Send the other boys up."
Sari and another man, identified in court as Peter Madul, arrived later. Neither Sari nor Madul were armed and the prosecution alleged they punched the victim after the main assault had already begun. After the group left, Mr. Neil attended the Alfred Hospital and received treatment for injuries including a fractured hand, a rib cartilage fracture and a large forehead bruise. In a victim impact statement heard by the court, Mr. Neil said the attack had derailed his life and that he had since relocated to New South Wales.
Victorian County Court Judge Amanda Chambers sentenced Sari last week. In her written reasons, Judge Chambers said Sari's offending was "less serious" than that of the men who carried out the brunt of the attack but noted the gravity of his role: "assaulting the victim in his apartment by punching him when he was vulnerable and had already suffered a sustained attack by the co-offenders." The judge imposed an 80-day sentence, but ordered that time already served be taken into account. Sari was also placed on a 12-month community corrections order.
In reaching sentence, Judge Chambers considered Sari's background and circumstances. Court documents state he was born in Sudan and that his parents fled conflict in South Sudan in 2003 by way of Egypt and Sydney. The judge additionally noted Sari was under the influence of cannabis, cocaine and Xanax at the time of the Richmond assault and that he suffers from mental health conditions.
Sari has a lengthy criminal history that the court described as "concerning." He was part of a group that, over several nights in May 2019, broke into three Melbourne homes and stole three motor vehicles. He was charged in relation to at least one of those home invasions and a range of other offences. In November 2020 he was sentenced to three years and nine months' imprisonment for related offending; that sentence included a non-parole period that expired shortly after the sentence was imposed. Police later linked Sari to the Richmond assault during an investigation in August 2023.
Co-defendants in the Richmond matter have received more substantial penalties. Akot was convicted of aggravated burglary, intentionally causing injury and failing to answer bail and was sentenced to three years' detention at a Youth Justice Centre. Madul was convicted of assault and theft and sentenced to three months' imprisonment.
The court heard testimony from Mr. Neil describing ongoing effects from the attack, including anxiety, paranoia and difficulty functioning in daily life. Judge Chambers referenced that statement when sentencing Akot, saying the victim described emotions that were "overwhelming" and a pervasive fear of encountering others.
Sari's sentence and release reflect the court's balancing of his role in the specific incident, his prior convictions, and personal circumstances raised in mitigation. He remains subject to a 12-month community corrections order. Authorities have previously publicised images of Sari in connection with earlier investigations and him being sought by police during a series of 2019 offences across Melbourne.