PA/46/09 27 October 2009
Australian court delivers justice in Indian student case
An Australian court has sentenced a youth to four-and-a-half years' jail with a minimum non-parole period of two years for attacking an Indian student, Sukhraj Singh.
This is another demonstration of the zero-tolerance approach being taken by Australian authorities in response to cases of violence against Indian students.
Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Peter Varghese, said today “Australian authorities are taking such incidents extremely seriously.”
“There is no place in Australian society for racism or racist violence and the perpetrators of any such acts will face the full force of the law.”
Mr Varghese said “our legal system has delivered justice in the Sukhraj Singh case in a prompt and efficient manner.”
“This judgement will send a strong signal to the community that such acts will not be tolerated and will be investigated and punished.”
In handing down her judgement, Judge Pamela Jenkins said it was "particularly shameful" that the defendant had vented his rage on international students.
Four of the individual’s co-offenders, aged between 14 and 17 at the time of the attack, have already received 12-month sentences in a youth detention centre and a fifth teen received a 12-month youth supervision order.
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