Man who punched ex-Geelong Cats player Paul Brown loses appeal
A MAN who coward punched former AFL player Paul Brown at a Shepparton kebab shop has lost a bid to reduce his jail sentence after being diagnosed with a newly-diagnosed mental disability.
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A YOUNG man who coward punched former AFL player Paul Brown in northern Victoria has lost a bid to reduce his jail sentence.
Mohammad Al Wahame was jailed in September 2016 for six years, with a non-parole period of four years, after pleading guilty to recklessly causing injury.
Al Wahame tried to have his jail term cut based on new evidence, but the Court of Appeal on Thursday dismissed his appeal.
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The 21-year-old attacked Brown, 48, outside a Shepparton kebab shop in October 2015.
The former Geelong player hit his head on the pavement, suffering a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.
Brown was unable to drive or work for months, but in a silver lining scenario, doctors also discovered he had a treatable brain tumour.
In appealing his sentence, Al Wahame asked the Court of Appeal to consider evidence he had a mild intellectual disability, which affected his ability to make calm and rational decisions.
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But the judges on Thursday said while his mental impairment reduced his moral culpability, it did not do so to a significant degree.
Despite the fresh evidence, they concluded the sentence should remain the same.
“The applicant represents a very significant danger to the public,” the justices said in their ruling. “He has little or no insight into his offending.
“Prospects for his rehabilitation are not good and will require very significant changes in the applicant’s personality and attitudes.”