Amrick Roy was mourning the loss of his grandmother when he attacked Penelope Katsavos

A student who assaulted a 79-year-old woman in an unprovoked attack outside a church had spent the night partying on Chapel St to “cheer up” after the death of his grandmother.

Penelope Katsavos suffered two brain bleeds, a fractured hip and a broken wrist in the unprovoked attack.

A student who “viciously” bashed a beloved Melbourne grandmother on the steps of her Greek Orthodox church was mourning the loss of his own grandmother at the time.

Amrick Roy, 27, pleaded guilty in the County Court on Friday to the South Yarra assault which left Penelope Katsavos, 79, with serious injuries including two brain bleeds, a fractured hip and a broken wrist.

Ms Katsavos, a dedicated volunteer, was unlocking the doors of Sts Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in March last year when she was bashed by Roy in an unprovoked attack.

After Ms Katsavos hit her head on the church steps, Roy fled with her shopping trolley and wheeled it around the streets of South Yarra while the elderly woman lay injured.

Student Amrick Roy pleaded guilty to the South Yarra assault. Picture: Supplied

Ms Katsavos was attacked while unlocking the doors of Sts Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church.

In a moving victim impact statement, the Greek grandmother described the vicious assault and robbery as “immensely life changing” and “utterly devastating”.

But Ms Katsavos said the most “heartbreaking” impact of her injuries was that she was no longer able to care for her husband who suffers from dementia and has since been moved into a nursing home.

“I cannot provide him with the care he needs,” she said.

“I miss my husband (and) I miss my independence.

“No sentence you are given will change the life sentence you have given me.”

Penelope Katsavos with her husband Thomas, who suffers dementia.

Defence lawyer Danielle Lamovie told the court Roy, who was living in Box Hill, was only in the area that night because his friend dragged him to Revolver Upstairs nightclub in an effort to “cheer him up” following the death of his grandmother.

After drinking heavily at the club, Roy assaulted multiple members of the community, including a litter collector, before he attacked Ms Katsavos around 6.15am.

Despite her traumatising ordeal, the grandmother of six said she has forgiven her attacker.

“Amrick Roy, I forgive you for what you have done to me,” she said.

“My only hope is that … you will learn how to be a better person.”

Judge John Carmody said Ms Katsavos had recently celebrated her 78th birthday when she was attacked.

“Next minute, this young bloke full of grog and maybe other things has punched her in the head and knocked her down,” he said.

Roy wheeled Ms Katsavos’ shopping trolley around South Yarra. Picture: Supplied

Roy pleaded guilty to three charges of common law assault, one charge of recklessly causing serious injury and one charge of robbery on Friday.

Forensic psychiatrist Nina Zimmerman told the court Roy suffers from schizophrenia and was psychotic the night he attacked Ms Katsavos.

But Ms Zimmerman did not believe he met the threshold to qualify for the defence of mental impairment.

Roy had stopped taking his antipsychotics in the months before the attack and was using synthetic cannabis in the week before.

The 27-year-old had previously pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court but his case was ordered up to the County Court due to the serious nature of his offending.

He will return to court on October 21 for a sentencing hearing.