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A father-of-three has been jailed for up to a decade for his “entirely senseless” fatal beating of a beloved Melbourne tradie at Crown casino.
Dozens of Luke Francis’ family and friends filled the courtroom in Melbourne, as Tyson Armstrong, 28, learnt his fate on Friday after pleading guilty to manslaughter for the March 2022 attack.
Francis was walking towards a food court inside Crown with his girlfriend when he came across Armstrong on the casino floor.
Armstrong was drunk and looking for a fight, but the 29-year-old concreter kept his cool and, after a brief five-second exchange of words, walked away.
But Armstrong followed him, grabbed him from behind, placing his hands around Francis’ chest and neck.
He pushed Francis into some railing and punched him in the face, first with a closed fist and then an open hand.
Francis collapsed on the floor after the 13-second bashing.
“You can’t handle me, am I too big for you?” Armstrong told his victim, as he lay unconscious on the ground.
Francis’ girlfriend and casino staff tried to revive him until paramedics arrived and took him to hospital.
But he had bleeding on his brain and could not be saved.
Francis died in hospital a few days later on March 29, after his family turned off his life support.
Armstrong, who was with his cousin, walked away from the casino towards the riverbank and was later arrested by police.
He initially denied being involved in a fight and then told officers Francis was trying to get him to go outside for a brawl, so he punched him in the face.
But Supreme Court Justice Andrew Tinney rejected Armstrong’s claims, finding Francis did nothing to provoke his attacker.
“The only person with violence in his mind, as you and Luke headed towards the food court, was you,” he told Armstrong.
He labelled Armstrong a “violent, drunken thug” as he sentenced him to 10 years behind bars on Friday for the unprovoked and “entirely senseless” attack.
“By your mindless act of violence, you took the life of a much-loved young man with his whole life before him,” he said.
Armstrong, who has already served six months in prison, will be eligible for parole after eight years.
