Sickening footage reveals moment off-duty police officer’s face is stomped on during brutal assault in Sydney’s inner west

WARNING: Distressing content. The sound of an off-duty police officer’s head cracking against the pavement after his face was stomped on during a brutal assault could be heard from a balcony above the busy road, sickening footage played in court has revealed. Finley Goodwin, 23, Koby Weaver, 21, and Danai Deneiderhavsei, 19 have all pleaded guilty to their roles in the attacking of two off-duty police officers in Sydney’s inner west last January. The officers, both aged 25, were walking home from a concert along Enmore Rd in Newtown when they were set upon, with a prosecutor describing the attack as “unprovoked” and “quite brutal” in court. One of the officers was knocked to the ground in the roadway outside Oporto on Enmore Rd in Newtown at some stage, with Weaver stomping on his face with “extreme force”. The vicious act instantly knocked the officer out, leaving him with skull fractures and a brain bleed. The sound of his head cracking against the pavement could be heard from a balcony above the busy road, with the video played to the court several times on Friday afternoon. Goodwin, Weaver and Deneiderhavsei all pleaded guilty to a series of assault offences related to their involvement in the melee. Weaver pleaded guilty to reckless grievous bodily harm in company; Deneiderhavsei pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company of others, larceny, and reckless grievous bodily harm; and Goodwin pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company of others. Judge Greg Grogin said the men had “acted in a pack” to carry out the “barbaric attack” while sentencing the trio on Friday afternoon. Sheriffs stood in the doorway as Weaver was sentenced to two years imprisonment over his “deplorable” act. “Your actions are deplorable. You saw it on the screen …(the officer) not only saw it, he felt it, and he experienced all the harm and injuries you inflicted,” Judge Grogan said. “(You) put people’s lives at risk. It was totally inappropriate, and caused major injury. I am not of the opinion that this can be served in the community.” Weaver was able to hug his family before he was walked out of court by the sheriffs. He will be eligible for release on parole next February. Judge Grogan found special circumstances and backdated his sentence and varied his non-parole period given he had already spent 65 days in custody. He also found Weaver had expressed remorse and regret. Goodwin and Deneiderhavsei were each fined $2,200 and each handed down a 12-month intensive correction order, to be served in the community, and 18-month community correction order. They are also barred from consuming alcohol and drugs, with Deneiderhavsei also copping a $440 fine for stealing food from Oporto right before the assault. The larceny was called “a ridiculous situation” by Judge Grogan. The trio’s lawyers had argued the young men should serve their sentences through community orders rather than in prison, pointing to their young age, lack of criminal history, and good behaviour following their release on bail following the attack. More to come.