An African thug who brutally bashed a Brisbane bus driver in a sickening attack that was caught on camera and caused public outrage has been spared jail.
Congolese refugee Echibaketa Byamungu, 21, was on Thursday given a six-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, for the single charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, had a conviction recorded and was ordered to pay driver Chun-hung Chiang $1,000 in compensation.
Byamungu had to appear by videolink as he was hit with nine new charges over an unrelated incident on Wednesday, which also delayed his sentencing in Brisbane Magistrates Court until the afternoon, The Courier Mail reported.
Brisbane bus driver is attacked by an African thug as horrified passengers watch on.
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Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett told Byamungu, a father who works as a machine operator, that the June 20 attack on the 130 bus at South Bank was “deplorable and grotesque”, and said the bus driver was not supposed to have to act as a security guard.
“As part of his job he was tasked with ensuring that people make payment for their travel, even if it is only 50c. Even after you assaulted him at the rear of the bus, he went to return to the driver’s seat at the front of the bus only to suffer the indignity in front of others for you to re-enter and assault him again,” he said.
“Mr Chiang asked you on a number of occasions for you to leave the bus but you did not. You were thereby creating a disturbance which he reasonably felt he needed to manage.
“Cross sections of the community rely on public transport, these members of the community use and rely on public transport systems reasonably expect that they will not be exposed to violence exacted on others as you did.”
Mr Gett said it was fortunate that Mr Chiang, who suffered facial bruising, swelling and tinnitus in his left ear, was not more seriously injured.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner shared the video of the assault on social media after the attack, and condemned the violence while praising multiculturalism.
“This kind of behaviour is deeply disturbing and has no place in our city. No one deserves to face violence in their workplace, especially from a single individual whose reckless actions endangered the safety of everyone on board,” he wrote.
“My thoughts are with the bus driver who was subjected to this appalling and completely unacceptable attack while simply doing his job.
“Brisbane is a friendly city, a city where people of all beliefs, cultures and backgrounds live together harmoniously and a city where everyone deserves to feel safe.”
Mr Schrinner said on Monday that once the court proceedings are complete the council intended to ban Byamungum who came to Australia at age seven via a refugee camp in Tanzania, from buses for two years.
Header image: Left, Byamungu outside court on Monday (7 News). Right, the bus driver being attacked (Adrian Schrinner).
