Alcoholic had no memory of unprovoked murder

A chronic alcoholic who fatally attacked a man at a Melbourne hotel has been sentenced to 19 years jail.

Neville Morrison, 50, told police he drank 14 litres of cask wine the night he fatally attacked David Rodakis, 56, at the notorious Gatwick Hotel in St Kilda, in December 2008.

Today, a Victorian Supreme Court judge sentenced him to 19 years jail for the "savage" murder.

Mr Rodakis was jumped on outside his room by Morrison and his co-accused in the early hours of February 15.

The "cruel" and "brutal" attack was captured on CCTV vision.

It showed Morrison repeatedly punching, kicking and stomping on his victim, over a 14 minute period.

He continually left the victim motionless on the floor, but returned five or six times to continue the assault, stomping on his head more than 20 times.

"At all times, you were assaulting a man whom you did not know and who had not done or said anything to you," said Justice Elizabeth Curtain.

The savage attack left Mr Rodakis, who was described as a generous and docile man, in a vegetative state.

He died 13 days later of pneumonia, a common complication from severe head injuries.

Dressed in a scruffy, mismatched tracksuit, Morrison cried as the court heard details of the attack.

When he was arrested, he told police he had no memory of being at the hotel and was described as being "in disbelief."

Previously, Morrison's lawyer told the court his client had been an alcoholic all his life and usually frequented the "hard drinking hotels of the western suburbs."

But he said he was not a violent man and his participation in the savage thuggery was "unfathomable."

The court heard Morrison had been drinking five litres of wine every two days in the lead up to the attack and while he cannot remember what he did, he cannot stop thinking about his victim and says sorry each night.

The judge said his crime should be seen through the prism of intoxication.

"I understand it, that you have no memory of the events and, were it not for the CCTV footage, you would not have believed yourself capable of such acts," she said.

Judge Curtain sentenced him to 19 years jail with a non-parole period of 15 years.

As he was lead from the dock, Morrison said sorry to the family of the man he killed.