Australian teenager jailed for murder of Indian student

Australian teenager jailed for murder of Indian student

2011-12-23 09:25:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

SYDNEY (BNO NEWS) -- An Australian teenager who stabbed an Indian student to death has been sentenced to thirteen years in prison, local media reported on Thursday. The case was notable because it put political relations between the two countries under pressure.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified due to his young age, admitted to killing Indian accounting graduate Nitin Garg in January last year. The teenager was trying to steal Garg's mobile phone as he walked through a Melbourne park on his way to work.

Judge Paul Coghlan sentenced the youth to 13 years in prison for the murder, with a minimum of eight years to be served before he is eligible for parole. The teenager has already served about 18 months in custody, according to The Australian.

The teenager appeared solemn and sad as his sentence was handed down, the newspaper reported. Coghlan said the boy had not intended to kill Garg, saying the foreign student was a "completely random" victim chosen not because of race but because of his presence in the park.

"Although this is a very serious crime, it was committed spontaneously," Justice Coghlan said. "In circumstances such as these there just are no winners. One able young man is dead and your life is dramatically affected forevermore as a result."

The crime, which followed a series of attacks on Indians, made international headlines and put the bilateral relations between India and Australia under stress. The Indian government strongly condemned the incident, triggering fears it would jeopardize Australia's multi-billion-dollar international student sector.

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