A murderer who intended to “teach a lesson” to another man who had sold him a fake set of Apple AirPods has been sentenced to at least 12 years in prison.
Ross Houllis, 28, died in the hospital three days after being hit on a street in Wakeley, Sydney’s west, on Valentine’s Day 2020. Sami Hamdach admitted to the murder in July 2022.
The day before the attack, Hamdach purchased a set of headphones from Houllis and thought they weren’t authentic.
When Houllis was attacked by Hamdach and another man, Abdul Karaali, it was because his partner had planned for him to meet and sell another pair.
Justice Stephen Campbell stated during Hamdach’s sentencing on Friday that Hamdach intended to use Karaali as “muscle” in an assault on Houllis to demand a refund and give him a lesson.
The intent behind the scheme that resulted in Houllis’ untimely demise, a counterfeit version of a well-known consumer good, was “trivial.”
The judge referred to it as “a flagrant case of the offender putting the law into his own hands, which can never be tolerated, let alone condoned.”
Houllis was attacked in a parking lot, “frogmarched” to his house, clubbed in the head, and trampled on, all of which were caught on camera.
When passing drivers halted to enquire about Houllis’ well-being, they were informed that he was inebriated and that the two men were taking care of him.
When the two fled the scene, Hamdach “effectively left Mr. Houllis for dead,” according to Justice Campbell.
Karaali was found guilty by a jury earlier in March; he is currently incarcerated and will hear his punishment in July.
The judge declared that “he is the main offender accountable for Mr. Houllis’s death.”
When imposing Hamdach’s punishment on Friday, Justice Campbell referred to the “gratuitous, senseless, and cruel way” in which he stepped on a concussed Houllis.
Prior to the incident, Hamdach’s partner was given a two-year intensive corrections order for aiding and abetting an assault resulting in real physical harm.
On February 14, 2032, Hamdach will be first be available for parole.
