Campbelltown tradie jailed after striking elderly man in Bulli parking spat
A tradie has told a court he prayed for a 75-year-old man and offered to help his recovery after he left him unable to dress or shower himself, when he knocked him to the ground over a parking dispute.
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A Campbelltown tradie who struck an elderly man in the face, leaving him fighting for life in hospital following an early morning dispute over parking has been jailed, telling a court he was “so sorry” for his actions.
Alasdair Papalli, 26, was sentenced to two years and nine months jail with a non-parole period of one year and eight months by Judge Chris O’Brien in the NSW District Court on Thursday, who labelled Papalli’s conduct as “unnecessarily violent” and a “real and significant over-reaction”.
Papalli, who now lives in Mt Druitt and is part of a church band, said he prayed for the 75-year-old man he hit on May 1, 2019, and offered to assist with his ongoing care “in any way”.
“I’m full of regret, I’ve been going to church trying to better myself,” he told the court. “The fact I’ve hurt someone like that … I’ve been praying for him, hoping he gets better and heals fast.”
The court heard the violent outburst occurred when Papalli, his brother and two other men were on their way to work at a construction site on Hospital Road at Bulli.
The group was struggling to find a park in the area due to the large number of tradespeople at the site, but eventually found one a short distance away.
After the car was parked, an elderly man walked outside an apartment block and an argument between him and Papalii’s brother began.
The dispute “became heated”, with Papalli telling the court the elderly man told his brother “to go back to Lebanon”, and threatened to slash his tyres.
Papalli then struck the man, causing him to fall to the ground.
Papalli’s brother, who was not involved in the assault, tried to assist the man while a neighbour called for an ambulance. The elderly man was taken to Wollongong Hospital before he was flown to Prince of Wales for emergency surgery.
The court heard that as a consequence of the Papalli’s attack, the man suffered an ischaemic stroke. In a letter to the court, the victim’s sister said her brother now lives in an aged care home, and cannot shower, dress or eat by himself.
“This is a sad and tragic case,” Judge O’Brien said.
“Two lives, one young and one not so young, have been ruined by a dispute over parking in the street.”
In handing down his sentence, Judge O’Brien accepted there may have been racial overtones by the victim, but said Papalli should have just walked away, and that his blow had a “devastating impact”.
Papalli’s mother and girlfriend, who were present in court, burst into tears as he was taken into custody following the sentence.