Overview

• Brian Edmund Brown, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the February 2024 brawl outside the Royal Hotel in Sutherland and was sentenced to three years and six months with a two-year non-parole period.
• Court screenings showed Brown returning intoxicated to punch on-duty guard Mousa Al-Zaher three times in the head, after which the security guard collapsed and died at the scene.
• Forensic pathologists determined that Al-Zaher’s death resulted from cardiorespiratory arrest on a background of blunt-force trauma combined with an underlying cardiac condition.
• Defence counsel argued that Al-Zaher’s hand gestures and health condition reduced Brown’s culpability, while the Crown cited the guard’s duty to remain on site and introduced a victim impact statement describing his importance to family.
• Judge Nicole Noman characterised the offence as at the lower end of seriousness, acknowledged Brown’s genuine remorse and credited his time in custody toward his February parole eligibility.