By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A 23-year-old man has been jailed for a sixth time after a brutally violent robbery of a Hungry Jack’s patron in Dandenong.
Mathor Galuak pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court to intentionally causing serious injury, two robberies, assault with a weapon and failing to comply with two community correction orders.
Six days after being released from prison, Galuak inflicted two robberies on 28 April 2022. He was on two CCOs at the time.
At 3.25am, he shattered a male stranger’s face and stole his gold watch in the Hungry Jack’s outlet.
After a few kicks and punches, Galuak struck him thrice with a beer bottle to the face, causing the bottle to break.
With the help of a co-offender, he repeatedly punched the victim to the face, threw him to ground and kicked him in the head.
The victim suffered a broken upper jaw, nose, cheek bone and eye sockets as well as “numerous” soft-tissue injuries.
He required restorative surgery including internal metal plates and screws to his face.
Hours earlier, Galuak and a female robbed a car driver in Dandenong. About midnight, they approached the victim seated in the car.
Galuak struck the driver twice with a large glass bottle, took the keys from the ignition and demanded the driver’s wallet.
He stole the driver’s umbrella and a bag of food.
In sentencing on 20 July, Judge Peter Lauritsen noted Galuak’s 49 previous convictions mainly involving violence and five jail terms.
Despite his “continual disobedience of the law”, he was still relatively young, the judge said.
The Sudanese-born refugee’s judgment was impaired by complex PTSD and substance use disorders.
His PTSD stemmed from issues as a refugee, including he and his family fleeing to an Egyptian refugee camp at a young age. His father and three brothers perished at the camp.
In Australia, he experienced gang violence including a stab wound in 2022.
During Galuak’s current remand period, his Langwarrin mother died from ill health.
He was drinking beers and spirits daily at the time of offending.
Unless his mental health and alcohol issues improved, his rehabilitation prospects were “unfavourable”, Judge Lauritsen said.
He was jailed for 42 months, with a 20 month non-parole period. The term includes 435 days in pre-sentence remand.
