Australian gets over 6 yrs in jail for attacking Indian

Natasha Chaku
Melbourne, Nov 13 (PTI) A court here has sentenced an
Australian to over six years in jail for attacking an Indian
taxi driver with knife, an incident that led to hundreds of
Indian cabbies blocking the Melbourne streets last year.
Justice Elizabeth Curtain sentenced Parrish Chales to
six-and-a-half years in jail, saying the stabbing was "random,
unprovoked and frenzied" and the fact that the 45-year-old
attacker had a hunting knife hidden in his pants showed a
degree of "premeditation".
The judge said the unprovoked and unexpected assault
on 23-year-old Jalvinder Singh was terrifying and left Singh
with ongoing mental and physical injuries that would change
his life, media reports said Friday.
Charles stabbed Singh five times from behind with a
hunting knife and the victim crawled bleeding from his cab and
was found in the gutter hours later by a passing truck driver
in April last year.
Charles drove off in the cab but crashed it nearby.
The crime shocked the city and led to a mass blockade
of Flinders and Swanston streets in central Melbourne by taxi
drivers for 22 hours.
Victorian Government had to then agree to safety
screens in cabs for drivers who wanted them, and pre-payment
of fares to become mandatory at night. MORE PTI