Tragic twist after man’s ‘heinous’ stabbing murder
Tara Cosoleto |
A much-loved family man will never get to meet his young daughter after his life was tragically taken in a heinous stabbing attack.
Nyaiek Anyang told the Victorian Supreme Court she found out she was pregnant with Mayiik Ring’s baby after he was murdered on December 30, 2022.
“Even though he is gone, he left a piece of himself,” she said in a victim impact statement to the court.
“Raising our daughter without him is incredibly hard.”
Mr Ring’s killer Malwal Aweng, 28, listened silently to her statement as he faced a pre-sentencing hearing on Friday morning.
The victim was at a reserve in Melbourne’s west with Ms Anyang when an argument broke out between Aweng and the woman.
The confrontation became physical and Mr Ring tried to intervene as the pair began shoving each other and throwing punches.
At one point, Aweng grabbed a knife out of his girlfriend’s bag and slashed Ms Anyang’s neck before stabbing Mr Ring in the abdomen.
Mr Ring was able to stay on his feet and ran to a nearby car to grab a pole to defend himself, causing Aweng to flee.
The victim then stumbled to a nearby community centre for help but he collapsed at the entrance.
Paramedics tried to revive the 32-year-old but he was declared dead at Sunshine Hospital shortly after midnight on December 31.
Aweng wanted to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter but prosecutors persisted with the murder charge at trial.
A Supreme Court jury in April found Aweng guilty of Mr Ring’s murder.
Ms Anyang said she had lost not only her partner but her best friend.
“He was the person I said good morning and good night to every day,” she said.
“His absence has left a huge hole in all our lives.”
Mr Ring’s mother Awatif Ring described her grief as overwhelming, saying she was left in a state of despair that continued to persist.
“The joy and purpose that once defined my existence has faded away,” she said in her statement to the court.
“I hope for justice that reflects the depths of our pain.”
Aweng’s barrister Paul Smallwood said the statements from Mr Ring’s family painted a very clear and tragic picture.
“Mr Aweng recognises that what he did was heinous,” the barrister said.
“He recognises Mr Ring was a good person who deserved to be safe.”
Aweng had accepted responsibility for his crimes and shown some degree of sincere remorse, Mr Smallwood said.
The defence accepted there were aggravating features in the offending, including that the killer was armed with a weapon while his victim was not.
The 28-year-old was also on bail and a community corrections order at the time of the murder.
But Mr Smallwood urged Justice Andrew Tinney to find Aweng was not without hope of rehabilitation.
Mr Smallwood conceded Aweng had a history of violent offending but said his client was starting to understand that alcohol and drugs were leading him to crime.
“He is amenable to treatment,” the barrister said.
Crown prosecutor Jim Shaw told the court Aweng’s prospects of rehabilitation were poor and the judge must focus on protection of the community when considering the sentence.
Justice Tinney will hand down sentence at a later date.
AAP
