A violent assault at Crown Melbourne casino has resulted in the Victoria Court of Appeal upholding a 10-year prison sentence for Tyson Armstrong, who fatally punched Luke Francis in March 2022.

Armstrong, who was intoxicated from a music festival, encountered Francis on the casino floor shortly after midnight. After a brief verbal exchange, Armstrong attacked Francis from behind, punching him and choking him against a railing. Francis suffered fatal brain bleeding and was removed from life support two days later.

Despite expressing immediate remorse and having maintained sobriety for three years prior to the incident, Armstrong's history of alcohol-fueled violence worked against him. Previous incidents included attacking a man in front of children and spitting bloody saliva at a police officer.

The three-justice panel, consisting of Stephen McLeish, Christopher Boyce, and Rowena Orr, determined Armstrong's rehabilitation prospects were "not good or even moderate." They cited that previous lighter sentences had failed to prevent the fatal assault on Francis.

Under Victoria law, Armstrong must serve at least eight years of his 10-year sentence. The victim's family expressed disappointment with the sentence length, with Francis' girlfriend Tessa Penberthy noting that Armstrong would still have a future at age 37, while Francis lost his chance at having a family.

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