Victim of vicious hammer attack at hands of housemate bravely confronts attacker

A man who was brutally bashed with a hammer by his housemate has told a court that his attacker was trying to “kill him”.

A chef who was drugged and bludgeoned with a hammer by his former flatmate as part of a heinous attempt to avoid a five-figure debt has bravely confronted his attacker in a court.

Kevin Arden faced Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday as he awaits sentencing over the May 2020 attack on his former friend Harry Sumantri.

Arden pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder and faced trial before being found guilty by a jury over the incident inside their Sydney CBD apartment.

The court was told that Arden was motivated by a $52,000 debt that he owed to Mr Sumantri when he attacked his friend inside their unit.

During the trial the court was told that Mr Sumantri loaned Arden $52,000 to invest in a business to sell hand sanitiser in Indonesia at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Sumantri had asked for the money to be repaid and with the deadline looming, he was attacked by Mr Arden.

Victim Harry Sumantri was drugged and bashed by his roommate Kevin Arden. Picture: 7 News

Arden had given Mr Sumantri a ginger drink spiked with doxylamine, an over-the-counter sleeping pill, the court was previously told.

Mr Sumantri reported feeling drowsy and went to sleep around 4pm and woke to find Mr Arden hitting him with a hammer in the darkened room.

During a sentence hearing before judge Sarah Huggett on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Sumantri stood in court and delivered a victim impact statement in which he detailed the toll of the devastating attack.

He said that in the aftermath it took him a long time to get over his fear of the dark.

“It took a long time to fall asleep because it reminded me of what happened,” Mr Sumantri said.

He told the court how he couldn’t work for 12 months and had drained his finances, which he had worked so hard to build up

He said he was still feeling pain and the after effects of the attack.

“He’s a dangerous person because he was planning to kill me, which is not a human thing to do,” Mr Sumantri said.

Mr Sumantri said Arden was a ‘dangerous person’. Picture: 7 News

A bloody wall inside the apartment after Mr Sumantri was bludgeoned with a hammer. Picture: 7 News

Arden, dressed in prison greens and beamed into the court via video link from Mid North Coast Correctional Centre, hung his head as Mr Sumantri addressed the court.

Mr Sumantri suffered head fractures, a broken left hand and cuts and abrasions in the attack.

The attack ended after one of their housemates forced his way into the room.

The court was told on Wednesday that in the aftermath there was blood sprayed on the wall and ceiling in “considerable quantities”.

During his evidence, Arden had claimed that Mr Sumantri had initiated the altercation – an argument rejected by the jury.

Arden will be sentenced by Judge Huggett next month.