A young man who brutally bashed and stomped on Michael McEwen in Bondi last year will remain behind bars until at least 2019.
Sentencing 20-year-old David Hona in the Sydney District Court on Friday, Judge Penelope Hock described his attack on Mr McEwen last year as a "completely gratuitous act of violence" against a young man who did not want to fight.
Hona pleaded guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm in June.
He has been sentenced to a minimum four years and nine months behind bars over the attack, with a maximum jail term of six years and nine months.
Hona sat in the dock with his head bowed as Judge Hock described how he had pursued Mr McEwen on a street in the beachside suburb of Bondi after a long night of drinking.
"The offender approached Mr McEwen who was facing him with his arms held out and palms open," she said.
She told how Hona punched Mr McEwen, 24, to the ground, and threw another punch as the young man fell, before finally moving in on the unconscious Mr McEwen and stomping hard on his chest.
The vicious and unprovoked assault left Mr McEwen in an induced coma for eight days, and doctors had to remove a part of his skull to save his life.
"The offender deliberately sought out another young man, in that he crossed the road to attack him," Judge Hock said.
"He did so when Mr McEwen was by his stance demonstrating he did not want to engage in any sort of confrontation ... Then to stomp on him as he lay prone, unresponsive and defenceless on the ground is a particularly despicable and cowardly act."
Michael McEwen was not in court to see his attacker jailed, but his father welcomed the tough sentence.
"It makes no difference (to us) whether he gets four years, six years - we just hope we don't hear of him again," Robert McEwen said.
"To punch Michael who was defenceless, not an aggressive sort of a guy, half his size, no threat at all - it was completely unnecessary.
"And then to stomp on him after he was on the ground unconscious is just malicious, taking it to another level, and I think he's paid the price for that."
Hona, who is already serving time in relation to other matters, will not be eligible for release until March 2019.
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