Apple AirPods row lead to ambush murder of Ross Houllis, beaten to death by Sami Hamdach in Wakeley

The mother of a man killed for the most trivial of reasons says the remorse of a man who was sentenced to at least 12 years in prison for her son’s death “means nothing.”

Sami Hamdach, 30, pleaded guilty to the murder of Ross Houllis, 28, who died in hospital three days after being beaten in a western Sydney suburb of Wakeley Street on Valentine’s Day 2020.

Justice Stephen Campbell sentenced Hamdach to a total of 16 years and two months with a non-parole period of 12 years in the NSW High Court on Friday.

Out of court, Mr Houllis’ mother, Janet Houllis, responded after learning that the first of two men had been convicted of her son’s death.

“I would have been happy with longer, but it is what it is,” she told reporters, holding a framed photo of her son. “It’ll never bring him back.”

Hamdach bought a pair of alleged Apple AirPods from Mr. Houllis the day before the attack, thinking they weren’t real.

His partner arranged for Mr. Houllis to meet and sell a few more, when he was ambushed by Hamdach and another man, Abdul Karaali.

“(Hamdach) could have done a lot of things to stop it,” Ms Houllis said.

“Yeah, I mean the other guy was aggressive… (Hamdach) had 24 hours to stop it.”

He intended to demand a refund and teach Mr. Houllis a lesson by beating him up and appointing Karaali as “muscle,” Judge Campbell said.

The motivation behind the plan that led to the death of Mr. Houllis in his prime, a non-original version of a popular consumer product, was “trivial.”

“A blatant example of an offender taking the law into his own hands, which can never be tolerated, let alone tolerated,” the judge said.

CCTV captured the scene as Mr Houllis was attacked in a shopping center car park, ‘frog march’ towards his home, kicked in the head on a suburban street and continued to stomp.

CCTV captured the scene when Ross Houllis (left) was attacked in the parking lot of a shopping centre, ‘frog-marched’ towards his house, kicked in the head on a suburban street and stomped on. The ambush was fueled by the sale of purported Apple AirPods (right) that were said to be fake bootlegs

Passing motorists who stopped to check on Mr Houllis were told he was drunk and his two killers were looking after him.

Hamdach “effectively left Mr. Houllis for dead” when the pair left the scene, Judge Campbell said.

Karaali was found guilty by a jury earlier in March and faces a hearing in July.

“He is the main culprit responsible for the death of Mr. Houllis,” the judge said.

He highlighted the “unnecessary, senseless and cruel way” in which Karaali stomped on an already concussed Mr Houllis.

Hamdach’s partner previously received a two-year prison sentence for complicity in assault resulting in actual bodily harm.

Mother Janet Houllis (pictured) said the remorse of a man imprisoned for her son’s death ‘means nothing’

Justice Campbell noted that Hamdach had ‘no real criminal record’ before the murder, and that it was ‘confusing’ that Mr Houllis died on ‘such a petty matter’.

“I don’t pretend to have found the answer to that question,” he said.

Exposure to violence and aggression from a young age from his father, who readily handed out “fatigue punishments” he learned in the Lebanese army, could explain Hamdach’s resort to violence over minor conflict, the judge said.

He was also convinced that Hamdach suffered from schizoaffective disorder with mania, exacerbated by drug use.

Hamdach read an apology letter to the Houllis family at his hearing and the judge accepted that he was sincerely remorseful.

“It means nothing to me,” Ms Houllis said outside court.

Hamdach has been in custody since his arrest the day after Mr Houllis was ambushed, and will be eligible for parole for the first time on February 14, 2032.