Thaindian News

Melbourne, Dec 10(ANI): Two Oz teenagers, who called themselves ‘Punji hunters’, have avoided adult jail despite pleading guilty to terrorising Indian victims in a four-day racist rampage between December 7 and December 11 last year in Melbourne.

Julius Medina and Peter Salapura, both aged 19, had terrorised and robbed Indian victims in random street attacks with groups of up to six teens.

Both teens, along with seven other youths, were arrested by the police in December 2009.

Medina pleaded guilty to one charge of armed robbery, three charges of attempted robbery and two charges of robbery, while Salapura pleaded guilty to two charges of robbery.

In the County Court today, Judge Liz Gaynor said that the term ‘Punji hunting’ was appalling and degrading, but the attacks were not motivated by a hatred of Indians.

She further told the youngsters that they would not be jailed, but their behaviour left them “on the edge of a slippery slope leading into the dark pit of Port Phillip Prison”.

“You somehow think you are a Superman who can do anything he likes and nothing will happen to him and that the only way to deal with you is to hand out the consequence of a stretch in adult jail,” the Herald Sun quoted Judge Gaynor, as saying.

However, she sentenced Medina to three years detention in a Youth Justice Centre in the hope that he would be rehabilitated.

Salapura was sentenced to perform 624 hours of unpaid community works as part of an intensive corrections order.

Judge Gaynor said that she took into account Salapura’s traumatic childhood and his smaller role in the robberies.

Five other boys have pleaded guilty in a Children’s Court, charges against another youth were discharged and an 18-year-old is awaiting trial at the County Court in August next year. (ANI)