Herrmann, 21, who pleaded guilty to rape and murder, was sentenced to 36 years' jail on Tuesday and ordered to serve at least 30 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole. Ms Maasarwe was on a telephone call to her younger sister Ruba in Israel when Herrmann struck her four times from behind with a 60-centimetre metal pipe without warning on Main Drive. Aiia Maasarwe. Credit:ninevms Ruba told police Aiia only had time to say to her: "I didn't expect you to pick up." Ruba then heard her sister scream and swear in Arabic and what sounded like a series of bangs consistent with someone being hit. Herrmann kept his head down as he sat in the Supreme Court dock and showed no emotion for the duration of Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth’s 50-minute sentencing remarks.

Ms Maasarwe was physically small, unsuspecting and alone when she was brutally attacked, Justice Hollingworth said. Her death had robbed her family of a beloved daughter and sister who was optimistic, kind and caring. Ms Maasarwe’s father, Saeed, sat in the courtroom with his arm around his other daughter Noor, who both travelled to Melbourne for the sentencing. Saeed Maasarwe on the steps of the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Credit:Joe Armao "Ms Maasarwe was a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her," the judge told Herrmann. "Your actions have profoundly affected them all."

Loading After the initial attack, Herrmann dragged Ms Maasarwe onto a small patch of grass near the Polaris Shopping Centre. There he raped her and struck her another nine times to the head with the pipe, before spraying cleaning agent WD-40 over her body and setting it alight with a barbecue lighter, most likely when she was dead. "Treating her body like this showed utter contempt of her dignity," Justice Hollingworth said. Herrmann, who has previously argued through his lawyer he burnt the body in a bid to avoid detection, maintains he doesn’t know how he came to have the WD-40 or lighter. He had entered the student accommodation where Ms Maasarwe was living in the weeks beforehand, but there was nothing to suggest he knew her. He was arrested two days after the murder.

Loading Justice Hollingworth said there were similarities in the cases of Herrmann and Jaymes Todd, who raped and murdered aspiring comedian Eurydice Dixon as she walked home through Princes Park in 2018. Both killers had no prior criminal history. Todd was jailed for life, to serve at least 35 years, after Justice Stephen Kaye was told the killer's sexual sadism disorder could not be treated, which limited his chances for reform. Todd is appealing his sentence. Prosecutors called for Herrmann to serve a life term, but Justice Hollingworth ruled his personality disorder and life of disadvantage reduced his moral culpability, so a life term was not warranted.

Loading She said the different features between the cases, particularly that Herrmann burnt Ms Maasarwe's body, meant Todd's case was of only limited assistance in sentencing. Every case had to be decided on its own facts and circumstances, she said. Justice Hollingworth ruled Herrmann had shown only limited remorse for his crimes and lacked insight into the effect they had on his victim’s family. She said his severe personality disorder, which arose from his deprived background, reduced his moral culpability, but did not reduce the need to deter others from similar offending. "Women should be free to walk the streets alone without fear of being attacked by violent strangers," she said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed similar sentiment when he tweeted about the crime in the hours after Herrmann left the courtroom. "This was a disgusting crime. It is sickening this sort of violence against a woman was committed in Australia. Aiia's was a bright life cut short and I hope this brings some sense of closure to her devastated family," he said. Two funds have been set up in honour of Ms Maasarwe. The Aiia Maasarwe Memorial Medical Fellowship will support Palestinian doctors training in Israel and the Aiia Maasarwe Memorial Scholarship will distribute more than $1 million, including $700,000 from the Victorian government, to La Trobe University students suffering financial hardship. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).