A Melbourne man who stabbed a young tradie before his mates kicked the dying victim in the head has been jailed.
Jack Ledlin, 21, appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria where he was sentenced to 22 years behind bars over the brutal murder of Cameron Smith, who died on his way to watch the sunset at Seaford beach with his ex-girlfriend.
The two men did not know each other but Mr Smith's ex-partner, Natasha Stroumos, and Ledlin's girlfriend, Scarlett Taylor, previously had a run-in at a party over a missing drink.
That incident ultimately sparked the vicious killing, which left Mr Smith dead on a footpath within 30 seconds of the brawl beginning.
With time served Ledlin will be eligible for parole in just under 14 years.
He did not react as the sentence was handed down, but Mr Smith's loved ones celebrated.
"Cameron Smith's life was violently cut short by your actions," Justice John Champion said.
"You stabbed an unsuspecting victim ... in a public street in front of many witnesses," he said.
"The attack ... was cowardly and unprovoked."
On the night of the murder, in November 2020, Mr Smith had just had dinner with his ex-girlfriend when they crossed paths with Ledlin, who was with his partner and two friends.
The young tradie's devastated former partner, Natasha Stroumos, told the Supreme Court that the group hurled abuse at them before the fatal fight broke out.
Graphic mobile phone footage of the deadly brawl showed Ledlin with a bladed object in his hand and a six-pack of beers under one arm.
The Supreme Court also heard that after Mr Smith collapsed, Mr Ledlin's friends surrounded the dying man and kicked him in the head before fleeing.
He died at the scene.
Justice Champion said Ledlin did not help his victim when he collapsed, or stop his friends from their savage attack.
"This was an entirely senseless act of violence," he said.
"It was three against one."
Victim's father calls out 'coward' killer
At a pre-sentence hearing earlier this year, Michael Smith, the father of Cameron Smith, said the killer had "no need, no right, no justification" for murdering his son.
"You could have pushed him, punched him, laid into him, but you committed a coward act and then ran from the scene ... like a pack of rats," Mr Smith said.
He said Ledlin was a "gutless coward" and called him a "stain on society".
"I hope every day you spend in prison is like a nightmare and you pay in prison for your despicable act," Mr Smith said.
Ledlin initially accepted responsibility for the killing and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but his lawyers told a jury that he was not guilty of murder.
It took a jury less than a day to reject that.
The Supreme Court heard that Ledlin had a "deprived and dysfunctional" childhood and a substance abuse problem.
The court also heard that he had previously faced court for violent crimes and had been found with weapons multiple times.
"Your history of violence is very troubling," Justice Champion said.
