Thug with violent past who bashed walker in face with bottle jailed

He lashed out with a bottle when he clipped heels with a fellow train commuter as they walked down a Murrumbeena street, smashing the man in the face — then tried to play the racism card. But the magistrate was having none of it.

A violent thug who tried to play the racism card after he smashed a walker in the face with a metal bottle has been jailed.

A violent thug who smashed a commuter in the face with a bottle as he walked home from work has tried to play the racism card.

Ashraf Shukri assaulted a man, 60, after slightly bumping into him on a Murrumbeena street.

The incident happened about 5pm on February 25 when the two men had got off a train at Hughesdale station and had been walking along a tight section of the Rosella St footpath.

When they slightly touched feet, the victim asked Shukri what was happening, but instead of apologising, Shukri hit the man in the face with the bottle.

The victim managed to regain his composure before wrestling Shukri over a fence as neighbours heard the commotion and intervened.

Shukri was held until police arrived, telling cops he had reacted because the victim had been racist, and as he was arrested he called the police racists.

The man suffered a minor laceration above his right eye.

Shukri, 29, pleaded guilty to one charge of recklessly causing injury at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court this week.

In a victim impact statement the man said he now suffered anxiety and apprehension and was very stressed around train stations.

The court heard Shukri had a terrible rap sheet involving several priors of assault, including a similar attack on another train passenger as he left a station two years ago.

His defence lawyer said Shukri, a Collingwood storeman who came to Australia from Ethiopia in 1994, was someone who had suffered discrimination in the community.

He said this was not a pre-planned attack and it happened very quickly, and he now realised he should have reacted differently.

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Magistrate Ian McGrane said there was no indication the victim had been racist in any way.

“(The victim) felt something on his foot, turns around and is called a racist and hit in the eye with a drink bottle,” he said.

“This can’t be tolerated in a civil society; this was a violent, unnecessary act.

“People should not feel fearful about being assaulted in the streets.”

He told Shukri he’d had plenty of chances in the past, but had learnt nothing.

“You have previously been before court in relation to matters of violence; you have had ample opportunity to redeem yourself, but failed to do so,” he said.

Shukri was jailed for one month.