A notorious Melbourne criminal who assaulted a man inside his Melbourne apartment after the man groped his friend has been allowed to walk free.
Ali Sari, 24, participated in an assault against a man, referred to as Mr Neil in court documents, at his apartment on Punt Road in Richmond on April 26, 2023.
He had attended the home as part of a group the night prior, where Mr Neil, the occupant, began to flirt with Sari’s associate, Wol Akot, 19.
According to a published court judgment, Mr Neil placed his hand near Akot’s penis, prompting the 19-year-old to threaten Mr Neil with a knife.
The following night, when returning home from buying wine, Mr Neil was confronted by Akot and two others, dressed in dark clothing, at about 7.38pm.
The three men, armed with knives, forced Mr Neil into his apartment and proceeded to assault him over the course of the evening. Sari joined in the assault a short while later.
Last week, Sari was allowed to walk free after being sentenced to 80 days’ imprisonment, with time served, over his involvement.
It is only the latest in a string of offences by the Sudan-born refugee, who was jailed in November 2020 over a brutal crime spree in Melbourne’s south.
Police released an image of Ali Sari (pictured) while searching for him in relation to a crime spree across Melbourne in 2019
Sari was part of a group who, over several nights in May 2019, broke into three Melbourne homes and stole three motor vehicles.
The then-19-year-old was charged in relation to one of the three home invasions, as well as a raft of other offences, but travelled with the group in all three stolen vehicles.
In sentencing Sari over that offending, Victorian County Court Judge Amanda Chambers considered Sari’s ‘concerning criminal history’.
Among his previous convictions were armed robbery, unlawful assault, assaulting an emergency worker on duty and assaulting a prison officer.
Despite his lengthy rap sheet, Sari was sentenced to three years and nine months with a non-parole period that expired six weeks after the sentence was imposed.
He found himself back behind bars after a police investigation linked him to the Richmond assault some four months after it took place, in August 2023.
The assault was underway when one of the assailants placed a phone call and was heard to say: ‘We’ve got him,’ and ‘Send the other boys up’.
Some time later, Sari arrived at the apartment along with a separate man, Peter Madul, who was then aged 27.
Sari assaulted a man inside his Richmond apartment in April 2023 (stock)
Over the course of the evening, Mr Neil was struck with a hammer, hit with a spoon and electrical cord, and repeatedly punched and kicked.
His hair, which was braided with dreadlocks, was cut into patches in what a judge presiding over the case against Akot described as an ‘act of revenge’.
Neither Sari nor Madul were armed and were accused only of punching the victim upon arrival at the apartment, at which point the assault was already underway.
After the group had left his apartment, Mr Neil attended the Alfred Hospital, where he received treatment for injuries including a rib cartilage fracture, a fractured hand and a large bruise to his forehead.
Mr Neil told the court his life had been derailed by the violent assault, prompting him to relocate to New South Wales.
‘The victim impact statement provided by Mr Neil details the significant impact of your confronting and violent offending, describing his emotions as overwhelming,’ Judge Chambers said in sentencing Akot.
‘He now experiences feelings of anxiety, particularly at night; fearing an encounter with others. He describes a pervasive feeling of paranoia that impacts on his ability to function every day.’
Last week, Sari was sentenced to 80 days’ imprisonment, with time served, for the assault and theft. He is subject to a 12-month community corrections order.
Sari was previously jailed over his role in a two-day rampage across Melbourne in 2019
Sari was sentenced to 80 days’ imprisonment at Victorian County Court last week over the assault and theft in Richmond, Melbourne
In reaching her decision, Judge Chambers considered the 24-year-old’s offending was less serious than that of the men who carried out the brunt of the attack.
‘The gravity of your offending lies in your role of assaulting the victim in his apartment by punching him when he was vulnerable and had already suffered a sustained attack by the co-offenders,’ she wrote.
Judge Chambers also considered Sari’s challenging childhood, including his parents fleeing conflict in South Sudan in 2003 by way of Egypt and Sydney.
That he was under the influence of a mix of cannabis, cocaine, and Xanax at the time of the assault and suffers mental health conditions was also taken into account.
At least three of the five offenders have been sentenced in relation to the Richmond assault, including Sari.
Madul was convicted of assault and theft and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.
Akot was convicted of aggravated burglary, intentionally causing injury and failure to answer bail. He was sentenced to three years’ detention at a Youth Justice Centre.
