Cop shooters Rodney Phillips and Sam Liszczak appeal their sentences
TWO crooks who scored the plea deal of a lifetime after shooting a police officer in the face are now shooting for freedom.
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A PAIR of ruthless thugs who scored the plea deal of their lives after shooting a police officer in the face with a shotgun are now requesting an early release.
ANGER OVER COP SHOOTERS’ JAIL SENTENCE
PAIR ADMIT SHOOTING POLICEMAN IN THE HEAD
Constable Ben Ashmole was wounded by shotgun pellets on July 7, 2015 while trying to intercept Rodney Phillips and Sam Liszczak.
The violent criminals could not wipe the smiles off their faces as they pranced into the Supreme Court of Appeal today.
The men, aged 23 and 22 at the time, were scheduled to face trial over the attempted murder of Constable Ashmole when the Director of Public Prosecutions made all of their Christmases come at once.
The pair pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of recklessly causing injury to the officer and reckless conduct endangering Constable Ashmole and his partner’s life.
They also pleaded guilty to criminal damage, arson, and firearm possession.
Surgeons were only able to remove three of the 14 shotgun pellets in Constable Ashmole’s head. He spent six months recovering before returning to work, but still suffers headaches.
In March, Justice Michael Croucher sentenced Phillips to serve a maximum of eight years in prison, with a non-parole period of six years and two months.
Liszczak received a maximum of seven years and 10 months, with a non-parole period of six years.
While the jail terms were widely condemned as lenient, both believe they have been dealt with harshly considering the charges they pleaded guilty to.
The charge of recklessly causing injury carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
The Court of Appeal heard the sentences imposed by Justice Croucher were among the highest imposed for that charge in Victoria.
The men were accused of embarking on a bungled firebombing attack aimed at the family of slain crime lord Carl Williams days before shooting the officer.
Constable Ashmole was shot in the face at point blank range after he and his partner Constable Tom Wospil cornered the suspects in a school carpark.
Liszczak’s barrister, Justin Hanneberry, argued Justice Croucher had gone too far when he imposed close to the maximum penalty on his client.
He said his client’s guilty plea spared what would have been a difficult trial for prosecutors, given the “awkward” position they were in.
“It was joint criminal enterprise or nothing,” he said.
Court of Appeal Justice Phillip Priest expressed dismay over the prosecution’s acceptance that Constable Ashmole was not “seriously injured”.
“I would have regarded that as serious injury,” he said.
He further added he believed the men received a lenient sentence over the firebombing charges.
Both men face the prospect of being jailed for longer should the appeal go against them.
A decision will be handed down at a date to be fixed.
