DPP to appeal sentence of veteran basher
12:54 AEDT Wed May 2 2012
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Queensland's attorney-general will seek a tougher sentence for a man who bashed an Iraq war veteran, leaving him in a coma for nine days.
Jarrod Bleijie has instructed the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal the sentence of Samuel Hutchins, handed down in the Southport District Court on April 19.
Hutchins, 17, pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including robbery, grievous bodily harm and assault.
He was sentenced to five years' jail, but will be eligible for parole in June this year.
Mr Bleijie said the sentence was manifestly inadequate given the serious nature of the offending.
Hutchins was one of three teenagers who attacked Private Joe Arnold, a 21-year-old soldier on leave from Brisbane's Enoggera Barracks, at the Gold Coast in January last year.
Private Arnold was knocked unconscious when his head hit the footpath and he spent weeks in a coma. He is still undergoing rehabilitation from his injuries.
Hutchins was arrested after allegedly using Private Arnold's mobile phone to download music, text friends and take photos of himself.
His charges also related to an attack on a Victorian couple shortly before he assaulted Private Arnold, and the robbery of some tourists one week later.
No date has been set for the appeal.
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