A gunman who chased down and attempted to kill his ex-wife’s new partner has been slammed for his “complete and utter lack of remorse”.
Abil Malovski, 39, returned before the Victorian Supreme Court on Tuesday for a presentence hearing after a jury found him unanimously guilty of attempted murder earlier this year.
Malovski, the court was told, was motivated by a “jealous control” of his ex-wife when he spotted Steven Grant selling flowers at a roadside reserve in Melton, northwest of Melbourne, the day before Mother’s Day last year.
He parked his car before stepping out and shooting at Mr Grant next to the busy road shortly before 3pm.
In the incident that lasted about a minute and 20 seconds, Malovski chased Mr Grant around the reserve and cars, firing six or seven shots.
Mr Grant was hit three times, twice in the back and once in the neck, and continues to suffer from a T9 incomplete paraplegia.
The court was told Malovski, who had separated from his partner in February 2021, had been released from prison about six months earlier after he was found with a loaded gun and made threats to kill his ex-wife.
Malovski visibly scoffed and laughed to himself as Judge Andrew Tinney described the targeted shooting as “very extreme behaviour”.
“I can’t just see the slightest shred of remorse or regret,” he said.
“It’s a bit disturbing that 18 months after the event he still doesn’t care what he did.”
Crown prosecutor David Glyn said the shooting had come as a result of Malovski’s inability to let go of his ex-wife and a desire to maintain control over her.
“The message it sends to her is ‘your life is not your own. You think you could hang out with other men; well, you can’t’,” he said.
“The sentence has to reflect the need for deterring men, such as Mr Malovski, from actions designed to control, dominate or intimidate ex-partners who would have the temerity to leave the relationship.”
Justice Tinney questioned Malovski’s barrister, Daniel Sala as to why he should not view this as one of the worst cases of attempted murder committed out of “anger, aggression and jealousy”.
Mr Sala submitted that would be “wildly inaccurate” but conceded his client was going to face a lengthy term of imprisonment.
“He’d lived a proactive and prosocial life up until this point,” he said.
“The dissolution of the marriage is the factor he’s struggled to move on from.”
Justice Tinney remanded Malovski into custody and will hand down a sentence later this year.
Outside court, Mr Grant said he hoped Malovski would be handed a long term of imprisonment and believe he should be removed from Australia.
“People who commit these crimes should be deported back to their countries because they have no regard for Australian law,” he said.
“There’s no remorse, he’s laughing in court – simple as that.”