A WA Supreme Court judge has labelled the fatal beating of a Pilbara man a "deplorable display of macho behaviour" while jailing the two men responsible.
Last September, William Snowdon and Benjamin-O-Ngapuna Mokotupu were found guilty of the November 2019 manslaughter of Anthony Musulin in Karratha.
Mokotupu, 32, violently assaulted Mr Musulin outside the Tambrey Tavern. Shortly afterwards he was punched by Snowdon, 34, at a nearby service station and hit his head on the ground, suffering catastrophic head injuries.
During their sentencing in the WA Supreme Court last week, Justice Bruno Fiannaca said the pair decided to fight Mr Musulin together, but Snowdon's blow caused the injuries.
Snowdon was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years' jail and will be eligible for parole after five-and-a-half years, while Mokotupu was sentenced to six years with a non-parole period of four years.
"It was the culmination of a conflict that started as little more than rowdy drunken behaviour in a tavern car park," Justice Fiannaca said in his sentencing remarks.
"It escalated because both of you, fuelled by alcohol, responded with violence in a deplorable display of macho behaviour."
'Never a fair fight'
Mr Musulin was not known to Snowdon and Mokotupu before the incident, with both offenders and the victim "heavily intoxicated" at the time, according to Justice Fiannaca.
Mr Musulin was at the Tambrey Tavern with colleagues, and left about closing time at the same time as the offenders, who were there with friends and family.
A conflict sparked shortly afterwards in the tavern car park, where Mokotupu repeatedly punched Mr Musulin in the head, including blows which were made while the victim was not looking.
Snowdon and Mokotupu then left the area and walked to a nearby service station, were Mr Musulin and his friends later walked to try to order a taxi home.
"I'm satisfied … the deceased did not set off toward the Caltex looking to find the offenders or to fight them," Justice Fiannaca said.
"It is obvious from the CCTV footage that they remained at the car park for a while trying to get a taxi."
Mr Musulin then made an "ill-advised" attempt to approach Mokotupu and Snowdon when he saw them at the service station.
"Together, you formed the intention to fight Mr Musulin and his friend," Justice Fiannaca said.
"In Mr Musulin’s case, it was never going to be a fair fight. He was felled by one punch from you, Mr Snowdon."
Justice Fiannaca said it was not established beyond reasonable doubt that Mokotupu's earlier attack contributed to Mr Musulin's death, but he was still criminally responsible because he was a party to Snowdon's act.
He said the pair had expressed remorse and had a low risk of reoffending.
