An Australian court passed prison sentences for two Melbourne residents, Ryan Smart and Craig Levy, on Wednesday, after they confessed to killing their Airbnb guest Ramis Jonuzi after a dispute over 210 Australian dollars ($152, €130) in rent.

Ryan Smart received a nine-year sentence and will serve at least six years before parole, with Levy being sentenced to seven and a half years and spending at least four and a half years in jail. Both men had pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

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Jonuzi forced to check his bank account

Smart and Levy shared a Melbourne house with the third housemate, who is also alleged to have taken part in the attack. They admitted to assaulting Jonuzi in October last year after he extended his stay and was unable to pay for it.

The victim was kicked and punched until he passed out inside the Levy-owned property. The beating continued outside after Jonuzi regained consciousness. According to the prosecutors, Smart at one point held the 36-year-old in a leg lock and forced Jonuzi to check his bank account balance, confirming that he only had six Australian dollars.

During the prolonged beating, Jonuzi sustained "compression of the neck and blunt-force trauma to the head," leading to his death.

The altercation was allegedly started by the third roomate, Jason C., who is set be tried for murder next year. If he is found guilty, he could face life in prison.

dj/jm (AP, dpa)

Note: Deutsche Welle follows the German press code, which inlcudes protecting the privacy of suspects who have not been convicted and obliges us not to reveal their full names.

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