Man who bashed pregnant Muslim woman in Sydney cafe jailed for at least two years
|
Version 0 of 1. Stipe ‘Steven’ Lozina had to be removed from sentence hearing after yelling out foul-mouthed racist abuse A man who viciously attacked a heavily pregnant Muslim woman in a Sydney cafe has been jailed for at least two years. But Rana Elasmar and her husband fear Stipe “Steven” Lozina, who was removed from his sentence hearing after disrupting the court with a racist outburst, will hurt others when released. “The victim suffers with the consequences far longer than the time the offender serves,” Elasmar said outside Parramatta district court on Thursday. “It’s worrying that he’s still displaying aggressive behaviour and a short temper.” Asked if he thought Lozina’s maximum sentence of three years was inadequate, her husband, Azzam Elasmar, replied: “Absolutely.” “Thinking about this guy potentially being on the streets within two years is a safety hazard for the community, it puts everyone at risk,” he said. “This guy can definitely reoffend.” Rana Elasmar was 38 weeks pregnant when Lozina approached her, punched her several times and then stomped on her head at Parramatta’s Bay Vista in November 2019. The 32-year-old mother of four deliberately turned her abdomen away from her attacker and prayed for God to protect her child as she feared being killed. Elasmar, who was wearing a hijab at the time, said Lozina first asked for money before assaulting her and yelling “you Muslims raped my mum”. Lozina, 44, appeared via video link before judge Christopher Craigie on Thursday but was muted after repeating the racist remark several times. Craigie then had the unrepresented man removed from the hearing. Lozina had in a previous hearing interrupted crown prosecutor Sara Gul to ask her about her racial background. Craigie said Lozina hit Elasmar about 14 times in a “very dynamic and swift outburst of violence” while she “cowered in terror”. The fact Elasmar and her unborn child survived, he said, was down to good fortune and the intervention of others, rather than any restraint from Lozina. “The victim was justifiably terrified,” the judge said. Lozina previously said he attacked Elasmar because she did not give him money but deflected several questions from Gul about whether he hated Muslims. “I don’t hate them,” the accused eventually said. “But I don’t get on with them. I have no business with them.” Lozina said he was a “chronic paranoid schizophrenic”, felt remorseful and was “too violent” to walk free in public. “I belong in a hospital,” he told the court in September. The 44-year-old, who rejected Legal Aid representation on several occasions, will be eligible for parole in June 2022. Elasmar said it was “nerve-racking” to sit in court, listen to him and relive the assault. But she felt relieved to finish the court process and said her son, Zayn, was “happy and healthy” despite the incident. “I’ve been verbally abused before because of my religion, but this has cemented that the Australian public is really supportive,” Elasmar said. “It’s given me confidence to walk out again and wear my hijab. It’s been a positive in showing that Islam is not something to be feared.” |