Updated
A man has been jailed for life for driving a car at pedestrians at a busy Flinders St intersection in Melbourne’s CBD in December 2017, killing one man and injuring 16 other people.
Saeed Noori, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of murder, 11 counts of recklessly causing injury and five counts of reckless conduct endangering life.
Antonio Crocaris, 83, died in hospital from head injuries after he was struck by the car Noori drove through the busy all-way pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Flinders and Elizabeth streets at about 4:30pm on December 21, 2017.
In sentencing, Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said the attack had left many of the people who were at the scene that day fearful of crowds, busy areas, screeching tyres and erratic drivers.
“Many victims likened it [the attack] to a horror movie, one that keeps replaying in nightmares or flashbacks and keeps them awake at night,” Justice Hollingworth told Noori, who kept his gaze down.
“Many of them lost their sense of optimism and trust … you shattered their sense of safety,” the judge said.
The judge described Noori’s actions as a “conscious, voluntary and deliberate act of driving into pedestrians”.
“It’s clear from the CCTV that you did not at any time attempt to stop, slow down or avoid people in the intersection,” she said.
Noori was not charged with terrorism offences, but the court heard he had accessed material about car attacks in London and elsewhere.
The court heard he shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great” in Arabic) several times as he resisted arrest by an off-duty police officer.
Noori, from Heidelberg West, is an Australian citizen who was born in Afghanistan.
He will have to serve a minimum of 30 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
He waved to family in the court today as he was led away.
A female relative of Noori collapsed as he was taken from the courtroom.
More to come.
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