‘It’s not that hard to not stab people’: Valley attacker sentenced

A young man on bail who randomly stabbed two people in Fortitude Valley, causing horrific injuries, has admitted to a judge he did the wrong thing, and said he was willing to change.

Awan Awan, 23, was sentenced in the District Court in Brisbane on Tuesday over two separate incidents in under 10 minutes in which he stabbed two men in the city’s nightclub district on July 2, 2023.

Crown prosecutor Tegan Little said Awan, who was 21 at the time, cornered a man who then tried to punch him.

An image of Awan Awan released after the stabbings.

Awan then swung at the man twice while holding a knife, the court heard. The man was stabbed in the back and later required medical treatment to drain blood from his chest cavity.

Six minutes later, a group Awan had joined approached another person, who was also unable to escape.

The court heard Awan’s three co-offenders were juveniles, with one already sentenced.

Little said while Awan was not initially with the others, he joined the group, who were trying to steal a necklace from the second victim.

“The defendant armed himself with a knife, swung at the complainant’s chest,” Little said. The victim suffered a 15-millimetre stab wound to the chest and a punctured lung.

Judge Nicholas Andreatidis KC sentenced Awan to six years’ jail for unlawful wounding and three years for robbery, to be served concurrently.

Andreatidis was shocked that the offending was committed by a man of such a young age. The court heard Awan had been a school captain.

“He’s just so young, unbelievable,” he said.

Andreatidis described the offending as random violence causing horrific injuries.

“You were armed, you were in company, and you were on bail at the time,” he said.

During the sentencing, Andreatidis called Awan’s sister to the front of the court so he could discuss whether her brother had any prospect of changing. She told the court he did.

Andreatidis then spoke directly to Awan in the dock, asking him about the offending and his ability to change.

Awan answered: “Everyone in my house is getting older while I’m staying in prison, incarcerated, and I’m supposed to be the oldest brother in the house.

“I’m supposed to be the one taking care of the house since my father’s not there, and just, I feel the disappointment of not being there, and not being able to be the one to provide for my family and look after my little siblings and watch them grow.

“I feel just so disappointed in myself. I’ve done the wrong thing. It’s not something you can do and get away with so lightly.”

Awan also said he was ready to start a family, with his mother hoping for grandchildren.

Defence barrister Ed Whitton told the court his client was well-educated and a promising sportsman.

He said the offending came down to the fact that Awan was very intoxicated at the time, and while that was not a mitigating factor, it was the only thing to explain the attacks.

Whitton said Awan strongly maintained he was never part of a gang, and had good prospects of rehabilitation, given his young age.

Andreatidis urged Awan to change his life, saying if he did not, he would be in and out of prison.

“It’s not that hard to not break the law. It’s not that hard to not stab people,” Andreatidis said.

“It’s really not that difficult. I truly hope this is the last time in your life that you have to look at a stranger like me speaking to you and sentencing you for anything.”

At the end of the sentence, Andreatidis told Awan to “do better”.

Awan is eligible to apply for parole in August this year, with 570 days in custody declared as time already served.

Start the day with a summary of the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.