Australian man jailed for 18 years for murder of Irish backpacker

An Australian man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder of an Irish backpacker in Melbourne.

Luke James Wentholt will spend at least 15 years behind bars after he was found guilty of killing David Greene and seriously injuring his friend David Byas in August 2012.

The court previously heard that the 31 year old, who had been released from jail only a year earlier after robbing and beating a sex worker, stomped on Mr Greene's head when he became angry that the 30-year-old was paying "too much attention" to his girlfriend.

His friend, Mr Byas suffered serious injuries and was in an induced coma for five days before being transferred to a rehabilitation facility.

He has since returned home and is expected to make a full recovery.