On January 12, 2023, Georgina Vlahos was lying on her bed above the garage of her Condell Park home when a bullet fired from below pierced through the floorboards, mattress, and struck her body — changing the course of her life forever.
The shooter was her partner, Kamal El Jamal.
According to the ABC, El Jamal fired a bullet from a pistol through the garage ceiling. The projectile travelled upward, passing through the structure of the house and lodging in Vlahos’s body. She suffered catastrophic injuries: damage to her chest, ribs, liver, spleen, and spine. Doctors later confirmed she would never walk again.
Instead of calling emergency services immediately, El Jamal waited approximately 30 minutes before seeking help, according to court documents cited by News.com.au. He eventually drove Vlahos to Bankstown Hospital in a Mercedes-Benz, telling paramedics, “Just found her like this,” before fleeing the scene on foot.
Vlahos told paramedics she didn’t remember what happened and said she could not feel her legs, according to the ABC News report.
CCTV later captured El Jamal disposing of evidence — including sheets and pillows from the bedroom — in a borrowed van. The firearm used in the shooting was never recovered, a fact that Judge Sean Grant described as “disturbing,” wrote News.com.au.
El Jamal pleaded guilty to recklessly causing actual bodily harm and using a pistol without authorisation. On June 6, 2025, he was sentenced to a maximum of seven years in prison, with a non-parole period of four years and three months. The judge cited his prior criminal history, including drug offences and a breach of a domestic violence order, as aggravating factors.
In an unusual and emotional twist, Vlahos expressed to the court that she had forgiven El Jamal and wanted him to assist her with daily care. She now requires help with activities such as bathing and dressing. Her legal counsel described her voice as “the most important factual issue in this case,” ABC News reported.
In a letter read to the court, El Jamal expressed remorse, saying:
“I want us to move forward together… to create a future that is full of love, peace and happiness… to help her feel safe, loved and cherished always.”
Judge Grant, however, was clear: “He should not benefit from the injuries he has occasioned.”
El Jamal’s stated remorse, attempts at rehabilitation, and care for Vlahos were noted during sentencing, but they did not outweigh the gravity of the offence or his prior conduct.
For Georgina Vlahos, who now lives with irreversible injuries, the most powerful decision she has made in the wake of tragedy is not simply survival — but forgiveness.
