A father who bashed his teenage daughter’s high school boyfriend in a park in north-east Melbourne is appealing his sentence.
Spencer Todd was just 17 when he was ambushed by Michael Georgopolous in an Eaglemont park.
The former Ivanhoe Grammar student dated Georgopolous’ daughter back in 2020.
On October 2, 2020, the young couple had planned to meet in the park in the early hours of the morning to discuss the future of their relationship.
“I thought I need to either break it off with this girl or she needs to get her family’s blessing to approve of me,” Spencer told 9News.
But within 10 minutes, the boy was attacked by 56-year-old Georgeopolous.
“I’m just telling him, ‘Look, I’m 16’. My hands are behind my head, I’ve done nothing wrong…then yeah he hits me twice,” Spencer recalled.
“It was like a sledgehammer … when he hit me my whole world spun upside down.
“It showed me there are still evil people out there that don’t care.”
Read Related Also: So, When CAN We Talk About the Disturbing, Out-of-Proportion Black-on-White Wave of Violence?
After the attack Spencer underwent surgery to have plates and pins put in his broken jaw.
He told 9News he still lived with mental scars from the ambush.
“I was suicidal for a while. I’m not proud of that, but that’s just what I went through.”
Georgopolous was found guilty of intentionally causing injury late last year at Heidelberg Magistrates Court.
He was handed an 18-month community correction order with a conviction recorded, the latter which he is now appealing.
The defence is arguing the conviction should not appear on Georgopoulos’ criminal record, claiming it would be detrimental to his future employment prospects.
“Where’s the fairness in that? I’ve got this thing that’s going to be with me for the rest of my life,” Spencer told 9News.
The matter will return to court next month.
If you need support for your mental health, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
