Jail for killing man and dumping his body in the Murray River

The court was told Mr Bolat had family in Tatura, but was staying at Ooi’s Lemnos house when he was attacked on August 13, 2018.

The prosecution said a fight started some time after 7pm over the ownership of a BMW that Mr Bolat had said he would give the victim to pay off a drug debt.

The defence, however, said the fight started because Ooi, also known as Arthur, had wanted to eject Mr Bolat from his house that night.

The defence also submitted Ooi – who was a contractor at orchards in Shepparton – was worried Mr Bolat may have a gun as it had been seen earlier.

The court heard Ooi held a pocket knife to the back of the victim’s neck before hitting him with a wooden stick and a metal pole.

Ooi, a Malaysian citizen who was living in Australia illegally, was also seen firing a shot from a gun at the ground.

Four other people joined in the fight, hitting Mr Bolat with a chair, a clothes iron and a metal pole, as well as punching him in the head.

Ooi also stabbed Mr Bolat in the leg with his pocket knife.

The victim’s hands were tied behind his back during the attack.

The court heard gym weights were thrown at the victim’s head by Ooi and another man who fled to Malaysia after the attack, and it is for this part of the attack that Ooi has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Between midnight and 2am, Ooi put a bag over Mr Bolat’s head and tied it, and it was unclear if he was still alive.

Mr Bolat’s car was dumped in a supermarket carpark in Shepparton shortly after 5am before Ooi and one of the others later dumped Mr Bolat’s body in the Murray River near Cobram East.

Mr Bolat’s body was found by police divers bound and wrapped in a doona, with two bags over his head on October 11, 2018 – two months after his death.

Judge Lex Lasry sentenced Ooi to a term of 11 years and six months in prison, with a non-parole period of eight years and six months.

He ruled the 1073 days of pre-sentence detention count as time already served, and said it was expected Ooi would be deported to Malaysia after his release from jail.

“The level of sustained violence is repulsive,” Judge Lasry said.

“Whatever initiated the offending … the violence is so far out of proportion.”

Judge Lasry noted Ooi had no prior convictions.

“The defence said it was out of character,” Judge Lasry said.

“The fact that it was prolonged, in company and so violent – it reflects poorly on your character.”