United service station: Mouman Baradaaji sentenced over attack
A young man involved in a vicious attack that left a service station employee with a jaw that had to be wired shut on the outskirts of Sydney has learned his fate.
Penrith
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A man involved in the brutal bashing of a service station worker in the Hawkesbury will remain behind bars for at least nine months.
Mouman Baradaaji, 21, was sentenced by Judge Ian Bourke for his role in the bashing of Chiraneevi Vaddepalli that left him with a badly broken jaw.
According to court documents, Baradaaji arrived at the United Service Station in Wilberforce after 10pm with a group of young men.
One of the men asked Mr Vaddepalli to open the door as they wanted fuel. Mr Vaddepalli replied by telling him he had already locked the shop and it was against the rules to reopen.
This allegedly started an argument between the two, and police say Baradaaji came running towards Mr Vaddepalli and knocked him to the ground.
Baradaaji then began kicking and punching Mr Vaddepalli while he was unconscious on the ground, and only stopped to throw a motorcycle helmet that had been thrown at him by a witness to the attack.
He later fled the scene with two other men, while other members of the group stayed behind to help Mr Vaddepalli.
During a sentencing hearing on August 21, Baradaaji’s lawyer Zoe Alderton submitted that parity was the critical issue, as one of his co-accused was sentenced to 21 months in jail in the Local Court, and argued that Baradaaji’s involvement was lesser.
“While this was a joint enterprise, there is a distinction between their conducts,” she said.
“(The co-accused) was more involved and serious. He was the first person to confront the victim, he spat in the victim’s face, and after he lost consciousness it was him who dragged him along the ground.
“There is no suggestion Mr Baradaaji participated in that conduct.”
Today, Judge Bourke described the offence has “serious” and said the behaviour must be met with “serious punishment”.
“The seriousness is highlighted by the unprovoked attack on an innocent victim,” he said.
“It’s also demonstrated by the high degree of violence and the multiple kicks and punches to the victim’s head.
“This was not a momentary offence, but continued for some time.”
Judge Bourke said Baradaaji had 21 infringements during his time in custody, and had been charged with unrelated drugs and weapons charges just four days before the offence.
He said the offence was at the mid-range of objective serious, and did not accept that Baradaaji was genuinely remorseful for his actions.
Baradaaji was sentenced to three years and six months in jail with a non-parole period of two years and four months beginning on February 4, 2019.
He will be first eligible for release on June 3 next year.