A Victorian man who murdered his childhood friend should be jailed for longer, the state's Court of Appeal has been told.
Paguir Pan, 22, shot and killed Winis Apet at Springvale in March 2019 after a scuffle outside a hookah lounge, believing Mr Apet had grassed to the police about a mutual friend.
Pan left the scene of the fight and returned 40 minutes later wearing a mask and carrying a shotgun, shooting his friend from a metre away.
Pan had consumed a combination of ice, alcohol and Xanax at the time.
In October 2021, Justice Lesley Taylor sentenced him to 24 years' jail with a non-parole period of 16 years.
Victoria's DPP has appealed against the sentence, arguing the killing was more serious than reflected by the jail term imposed by the Supreme Court.
At an appeal hearing on Wednesday, Chris Boyce SC said Pan was a violent criminal, who only just got out of jail and was on bail for armed robbery when he killed his friend.
He entered a late plea of guilty and showed limited remorse, Mr Boyce said.
Even if the 24-year term was adequate in the view of the appeal judges, the non-parole period could not be, he argued.
"If the head term cannot be saved, then nothing can save this non-parole period of 16 years," he said.
But Dermot Dann QC for Pan argued Justice Taylor's sentence, while lenient, was still appropriate and she had to avoid imposing a crushing sentence on a young person.
An application to hold the appeal in a closed court was refused.
The Court of Appeal has reserved its decision until a later date.
