Suliman Suliman sentenced over Southbank coward punch attack on Kevin Vidovic
A man who dealt a catastrophic coward punch to his victim during a cocaine-fuelled night out looked at his loved ones in disbelief after learning he would spend years behind bars.
Police & Courts
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A coward punch thug will spend at least four and a half years behind bars while his severely disabled victim faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life needing around-the-clock care.
Suliman Suliman, 28, was seemingly in shock as he was sentenced in the County Court on Thursday to six years and six months’ jail for his vicious attack on Kevin Vidovic that robbed him of his future.
The court heard Suliman dealt two savage blows to the head and face of Mr Vidovic outside Soho Restaurant and Bar in Southbank while fuelled by cocaine and booze in the early hours of October 30, 2022.
Graphic footage previously played to the court showed the second blow believed to have rendered Mr Vidovic instantly unconscious, preventing him from bracing as he fell backward and cracked his head open on the concrete.
As blood gushed from his head, Mr Vidovic’s friends rushed to his aid believing he was dead as Suliman walked away with seemingly no regard to the welfare of the man whose life he had essentially ended.
After Judge Gavan Meredith handed down his sentence, Suliman – whose legal team argued should be jailed for only 12 months and released on a community corrections order – looked over at his loved ones from the dock in disbelief.
“Nothing other than a substantial term of imprisonment is appropriate in all the circumstances given, in particular, the gravity of your conduct,” Judge Meredith said.
The court heard the senseless act of violence erupted after a friend of Mr Vidovic, then aged 25, simply “brushed shoulders” with an unknown male when exiting the venue.
A scuffle erupted and Mr Vidovic stepped in when he saw his friend was under attack.
Mr Vidovic was soon set upon by Suliman’s co-accused Khaled Haddara, but he was in the process of retreating when punched from behind by Suliman.
“He fell like a matchstick. His knees didn’t even buckle or bend,” a witness recalled.
Judge Meredith told the court Mr Vidovic suffered an “extremely severe traumatic brain injury”, which had seen him spend two years confined to a bed in a vegetative state.
At the time, doctors at the Alfred said it was likely he will remain “severely impaired” and “unable to live without a high-level of physical and cognitive support”.
“Medical findings indicate Mr Vidovic is likely to have a short life expectancy (and) a slow, incomplete recovery taking many years without ever being fully functional again,” Judge Meredith said.
In November, Ivan Vidovic provided gut-wrenching video footage of his brother lying in bed at a nursing home in Croatia, barely responding to requests for him to squeeze his hand.
“Your actions have not only altered Kevin’s life irreversibly, but also left an indelible mark on our family, redefining our existence,” he wrote in his victim impact statement.
He spoke of the family being handed a “life sentence”, describing his brother’s disabilities as “profound”, including an inability to eat.
Mr Vidovic had been described as an active, hardworking young man with a passion for camping, fishing and fitness.
Judge Meredith told Suliman that Mr Vidovic was “vulnerable” and did not present a threat to him when he dealt his first blow.
“He didn’t see the punch coming given where you were positioned,” he said.
“Essentially, he was defenceless.”
Judge Meredith said he took into account the fact Suliman had shown a “degree of remorse” and was running his own earthmoving business before being taken into custody.
Raised in war-torn Sudan, he was physically abused during his childhood and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as a substance use disorder.
Suliman, who was sentenced to a non-parole period of four years and six months, pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious injury, affray and two counts of assault.
With time served, he will be eligible for parole in mid-2029.
Haddara was sentenced in 2023 to an 18-month community corrections order with conviction.
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