A gang of racist youths nearly killed a man during an armed rampage in an Indian grocery store in Melbourne’s west for the “sheer thrill” of the attack, a judge said today.

Drunk and carrying wooden planks ripped up from a nearby bus stop seat, the seven youths raided the Impex shop in Sunshine yelling “are you Indian?” as they randomly struck their victims on December 1 last year, the County Court heard today.

Indian student Sukhraj Singh, 28, was in a coma for 15 days and will suffer the effects of a severe acquired brain injury for the rest of his life after being beaten during the assault.

Eight men were punched and hit with the weapons and most suffered minor injuries but Mr Singh was beaten unconscious and spent months in hospital and rehabilitation after being struck three times to the head and body.

In sentencing one of the attackers, Zakarie Hussein, 21, of Braybrook, Judge Pamela Jenkins said today the group had deliberately targeted victims of Indian ethnicity in the “unprovoked rampage”.

The youths had been drinking beer in a park for about four hours before they went to the store in City Place just after 6.30pm where two of the teens began a racist argument with two customers, the court heard.

About five minutes later, the pair returned with their friends, most armed with wooden bars and one with a fluorescent light tube, and began smashing up the store and indiscriminately striking customers and staff as they yelled “are you Indian?” and “bloody Indians, f— off”.

The shop’s cash register was stolen and the loot divided up among the offenders. Hussein received about $15.

In a victim impact statement tendered to the court, Mr Singh said metal plates had been inserted into his face, he had shed up to 15 kilograms and been left with lumps and scars on his head from the assault.

“I am lucky to be alive, all my friends and family thought I was going to die,” Mr Singh said in the statement.

He said he suffered from dizzy spells and had undergone counselling after being plagued by nightmares and flashbacks.

The court heard his injuries had been potentially life-threatening and meant he had been unable to work for five months, may not be able to complete his studies and was too frightened to live alone.

Hussein had pleaded guilty to armed robbery, recklessly causing serious injury, and six counts of recklessly causing injury.

Judge Jenkins said Hussein had not used his wooden weapon but had planned to before being knocked out of the way by a co-offender.

She said the victims had tried to cower from their attackers and had done nothing to provoke the attack.

“Your victims presented no threat to you or your co-offenders whatsoever. They did not provoke you, they did not fight back and indeed they made every effort to escape from the assaults,” she said.

“Notwithstanding these circumstances the victims were beaten apparently for the sheer thrill, Mr Singh being subjected to a particularly savage beating with the terrible consequences for him.”

Judge Jenkins said the assault was among a number of racist attacks that had rightly provoked international and local community outrage and should be condemned.

“Short of becoming prisoners in their own homes, there is little potential victims can do to prevent such attacks,” she said.

Judge Jenkins sentenced Hussein to four-and-a-half years’ jail with a minimum non-parole period of two years.

Hussein, dressed in a black suit and white shirt and supported in court by family, bit his nails throughout the hearing and stood with his hands clasped while he was sentenced to serve his time in an adult prison.

The court heard he had migrated to Australia from Somalia, aged about six, with his older brother and mother, who were both later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

His younger sister had died from malaria shortly before the family left Africa where they spent time in a refugee camp in Kenya.

The court heard Hussein had experienced a difficult childhood and by his final year of school was drinking and taking drugs daily.

His defence had argued Hussein played only a minor role in the attack, had been drunk after consuming about 10 beers, and was remorseful.

But Judge Jenkins said despite Hussein not having hit any of the victims he had entered the store armed with the intention of hurting someone and had yelled encouragement to his friends.

She said it was “particularly shameful” that the Somali immigrant had vented his rage on international students and other young immigrants.

“There is no question that the offending constituted an extremely violent and indiscriminate rampage by armed youths exhibiting the worst traits of a pack mentality,” Judge Jenkins told Hussein.

Hussein had prior convictions including, for robbery, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

Four of Hussein’s co-offenders, aged between 14 and 17 at the time of the attack, had already received 12-month sentences in a youth detention centre and a fifth teen received a 12-month youth supervision order.

The Director of Public Prosecutions Jeremy Rapke has appealed against the sentences, arguing they are “manifestly inadequate”.

The Court of Appeal is yet to hand down its judgment. A sixth offender, who has pleaded guilty in the Children’s Court, will be sentenced following the result of the appeal.