A MAN draped in an Australian flag has been jailed for his part in "a savage, unprovoked attack" on a couple of Chinese men riding home on their bicycles.
Michael Gulliford, 21, and Christopher David Owen, 20, were told by South Australian District Court Judge Rauf Soulio they were lucky not to have killed one of their victims in March last year.
Judge Soulio said the Chinese pair had been riding home after playing gaming machines at a northern Adelaide tavern.
Gulliford, of Brooklyn Park, and Owen, of Salisbury Plains, had been outside another hotel when they attacked the Chinese men, repeatedly kicking and punching them.
One of the victims suffered life-threatening internal injuries, Judge Soulio said.
"The assault would have been fatal had the victim not been found and taken to hospital," he said.
The other victim suffered facial injuries.
The attackers stole wallets, mobile phones and watches from both victims before continuing drinking at the tavern where the Chinese men had been gambling.
Gulliford had draped himself in an Australian flag during the attack but his lawyer had previously told the court both men were at first unaware that their victims were Asian.
Judge Soulio noted submissions that the attack wasn't racially motivated.
Gulliford and Owen each pleaded guilty to six counts of aggravated assault and theft, with Judge Soulio saying they could offer no explanation for the attack.
He sentenced both to four years and nine months jail with a non-parole period of one year and nine months.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,,25891956-1246,00.html
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