Paul Lipano sentenced to three years jail over ‘ferocious’ attack in CBD lift

Shocking footage has captured the moment an ice-fuelled thug attacked two people in an elevator, in what has been described as a ‘violent, sustained, ferocious and brutal’ beating.

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CCTV footage has captured the moment two men were set upon by strangers in a “ferocious” elevator attack in Sydney’s CBD, sparked by their refusal to hand over a bag of fast food.

Paul Lipano will spend at least 19 months in jail having instigated the unprovoked attack at the Meriton Suites on Kent St in June.

The footage, played in court, shows him unleash a shocking and sustained flurry of punches.

The victims, outnumbered three to one, did not try to fight back when they found themselves trapped and cornered just after 2.41am on June 30.

Paul Lipano squares up to one of the men...

Before launching a flurry of punches

The ordeal lasted almost two minutes and spanned across 14 floors.

Lipano, 20, had returned to the hotel and was in the lift with five of his friends, including his brother Frank Togia, when victims Michael Ah-Hen and George Fotopoulos entered.

Togia asked Mr Fotopoulos if he could have some of the food he was carrying in a plastic bag.

He declined the request because it was “for other people”.

“Mr Togia then used his left arm to push Mr Ah-Hen against the wall … As Mr Togia held Mr Ah-Hen’s shirt Mr Lipano has punched Mr Ah-Hen in the face twice,” the facts state.

The footage then shows Lipano punch Mr Fotopoulos in the face, before turning back and forth throwing a series of punches at both victims.

Some of the men in the lift begin sheltering the victims and holding back Lipano, who pursues his targets around the cramped space.

He can be seen swinging wildly as the men cower in the corner

We throws a number of punches as one man in pinned at the back of the lift

The Wiley Park man was pulled out of the lift by his friends after the doors opened but ran back inside to unleash more blows, topped off by throwing the food at the stunned victims.

He is then seen a third time returning to the elevator just when it appears the attack is complete to deliver a final assault.

Hotel security watched the events unfold on CCTV monitors and called police who attended just minutes later.

When officers arrived to question Lipano and his crew, he approached police holding up his middle finger and “imitated shooting a pistol” at with his hand.

He kicked out at officers attempting to put him in a caged vehicle yelling “F**ck the police. F**k the system”, the facts state.

He then swings at a man who is trying to cover his face

Magistrate Philip Stewart on Tuesday imposed a maximum three year sentence from Lipano’s arrest on June 30, with a non-parole period of 19 months.

He admonished the “violent, sustained, ferocious and brutal” act that left its victims bloodied and bruised.

After a short break he comes back for more

“The victims could not escape even if they wanted to, given the confined nature of the lift,” he said.

Magistrate Stewart heard the accused was affected by ice, cannabis and alcohol at the time of the attack, and had struggled with substance use since he was 15.

He pleaded guilty to affray, resisting police and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Lipano will be eligible for release on January 29, 2021.