By Cameron Houston & Chris Vedelago
A Ferrari-driving kickboxer could serve just two years in prison after killing a great-grandmother in a high-speed car crash in Melbourne's north in 2015.
Suleiman "Sam" Abdulrahim, 26, was almost 50 kilometres above the speed limit and on the wrong side of the road when he clipped two vehicles and ploughed into a Mazda sedan near the intersection of High Street and Broadhurst Avenue in Reservoir.
Suleiman Abdulrahim is arrested outside the Magistrates Court after a wild brawl in 2015.Credit: Eddie Jim
Lynette Vernall was driving her 88-year-old mother, Muriel Hulett, back to a retirement home after a family lunch when Abdulrahim lost control of the high-powered Ferrari 360 Spider.
Mrs Vernall survived horrific injuries, but Mrs Hulett died after eight days in a coma suffering from extensive neck and chest injuries.
Mrs Vernall slammed the sentence handed down by County Court judge Trevor Wraight on Thursday, saying it "diminished my mother's life".
The scene of the Reservoir accident in 2015.Credit: @pauldowsley7
"It was manifestly inadequate. Ten years would have been lovely, eight [years] would have been fine," she said outside court.
Mrs Vernall said her mother was full of vitality and enjoying retirement before the tragic collision.
Mrs Hulett's son Trevor Hulett said Abdulrahim "could not care less" about the devastation he had caused.
A former professional kickboxer known as "The Punisher", Abdulrahim had a long history of driving offences, including speeding and driving while unlicensed.
On the same day of the crash, a Twitter account using the name Sam Abdulrahim, retweeted an image of the incident from a Channel 7 news reporter.
The tweet stated: "Speeding Ferrari causes five car crash in Reservoir and a head-on into a Mazda. 11 injured, 4 serious" and has two photos attached to it of the smashed-up Ferrari and Mazda.
Re-Tweet of Channel 7 reports about the the crash
While on bail, Abdulrahim continued to rack up speeding offences. He was also charged by police for using a fake address in Adelaide to apply for a South Australian driver's licence.
In August 2016, police raided Abdulrahim's Epping home and discovered 138 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and four vials of steroids stashed in his bedroom. Detectives also seized $1900 in cash that was ruled to be the proceeds of crime.
Judge Wraight rejected a submission by Abdulrahim's lawyer Robert Richter, QC, who claimed his client lost control of the grey Ferrari after hitting a curb.
"You were in a vehicle that was high-powered and you were driving at high speed in a built-up area," Judge Wraight said.
The court was told Abdulrahim was driving at up to 110 km/h in a 60km/h zone and was seen weaving between lanes shortly before the crash.
Judge Wraight sentenced him to a maximum sentence of three years and three months, with a two-year minimum.
Muriel Hulett, who was killed in a crash invovling Suleiman "Sam" Abdulrahim
After spending 419 days on remand, Abdulrahim could be eligible for parole in June next year.
In February 2015, Abdulrahim made headlines when he was involved in a wild brawl on the third level of the Melbourne Magistrates Court building.
The fight erupted after a verbal altercation with another man in court. Security guards and police used capsicum spray to quell the fight. Abdulrahim was found guilty of assault and fined $2000.