'As cowardly as you can get': Junior soccer star, 21, is left with no sense of smell and needs to be reminded to hang out his washing after thug launched sickening one-punch attack
- Cameron Holzheimer, 21, was knocked out in sickening April 2016 attack
- Unprovoked attack by Joel Mitchell Worlin put him in intensive care for days
- He now struggles to remember to do basic tasks and has no sense of smell
- Worlin was on Monday jailed for four years and 10 months by a Newcastle court
A junior soccer star has no sense of smell and can't even remember to hang out the washing after he was knocked out in a one punch attack.
Cameron Holzheimer, 21, was punched in the head by Joel Mitchell Worlin during a night out with teammates in Newcastle on April 20, 2018.
Newcastle District Court Judge Roy Ellis called the unprovoked attack 'as cowardly as you can get' as he jailed Worlin for four years and 10 months on Monday.
Mr Holzheimer hit his head on the concrete footpath as he fell and fractured his skull, while his attacker fled the scene and left him for dead.
Cameron Holzheimer, 21, has no sense of smell and can't even remember to hang out the washing after he was knocked out in a one punch attack last year
The rising star on the Lake Macquarie Roosters spent five days in intensive care at John Hunter Hospital with a major bleed in his brain.
He still has no memory of the attack and the days afterwards - one minute he was drinking with his teammates, then waking up in hospital surrounded by family.
The attack was his second life-threatening experience in three years after a serious bout of pneumonia put him in an induced coma in April 2016.
Mr Holzheimer's sister Brooke read a victim's impact statement to the court on Monday outlining the devastating toll his injuries took on his life.
'I have no feelings for the guy who hit me. No hate, no thoughts, no anger and no care for him. He means nothing to me,' his statement read.
'I just need him to know that his one stupid punch has left many scars that can't be seen, knocked back my dream career and changed me forever and affected my family in terrible ways.'
The attack was his second life-threatening experience in three years after a serious bout of pneumonia put him in an induced coma in April 2016 (pictured)
Mr Holzheimer hit his head on the concrete footpath as he fell and fractured his skull, while his attacker fled the scene and left him for dead
Mr Holzheimer's statement described how he was 'a confused mess' for the first three months and how the traumatic brain injury robbed him of his sense of smell.
'This may seem insignificant, however I've lost the ability to smell a barbecue, my girlfriend's perfume, the smell of the ocean and just about everything else,' he said.
After the sentencing, Mr Holzheimer told Daily Mail Australia the attack affected him both physically and mentally and he was happy to finally move on.
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His injuries cause periodic memory loss that means he has to set alarms on his phone so he remembers to do basic tasks like hang out the washing.
'I'm glad it's all over and done with. Since the incident I've had endless support from family and friends and I'm truly grateful for them,' he said.
'I'm looking forward to getting on with my future and moving on from this traumatic experience.'
A judge called the unprovoked attack 'as cowardly as you can get' as he jailed Joel Mitchell (pictured) for four years and 10 months on Monday
Worlin was only two years into a three-year good behaviour bond for looking on as three of his friends bashed an innocent 18-year-old man in a pub toilet in 2013
Mr Holzheimer was a promising soccer player heading towards a professional career until the pneumonia and the the one-punch attack derailed his career.
He moved to Newcastle as a 17-year-old in March 2016 to play for the Jets youth squad, days before getting sick on his 18th birthday.
Hours later he was in catastrophic respiratory failure and doctors told his family to fly in from Brisbane as he was close to death.
Mr Holzheimer is determined to continue his career next season as he continues with his recovery.
Worlin will serve at least two and a half years jail before before he is eligible for parole.
He was only two years into a three-year good behaviour bond for looking on as three of his friends bashed an innocent 18-year-old man in a pub toilet in 2013.
The victim's jaw was broken as he was punched and stomped on by the men, who were linked to a criminal gang, as he lay on the cubicle's floor.
Worlin will serve at least two and a half years jail before before he is eligible for parole
