73 Stitches From Bottle Assault (Press, 1 December 1982)

On 1 December 1982, a District Court judge condemned the actions of a 17-year-old youth, Kuku William Brown, who had assaulted a young woman, Noeline Katrina Tomlinson, at a party on 3 November. Brown hit Tomlinson in the face with a partly-filled beer bottle, resulting in her requiring 73 stitches but fortunately escaping permanent scarring. During the proceedings, the judge expressed his initial intention to impose prison time for the gravity of the offence. However, Brown was ultimately sentenced to eight months of periodic detention instead. The assault occurred after Brown, who was intoxicated, was provoked by Tomlinson’s questions regarding his sexual orientation. The judge made it clear that while provocation was a factor, it did not justify Brown's violent response. He labelled the act of striking anyone with a glass object as “grave and reprehensible”. The absence of long-term injury to Tomlinson, the nature of the provocation, and Brown’s age were the three reasons the judge decided against prison time. In a separate sentencing, Ivan Lawson, aged 25 and unemployed, received a six-month prison sentence for multiple traffic offences, including reckless driving and driving while disqualified. The judge noted Lawson's extensive criminal record related to disqualified driving and previous drink-driving charges. His actions were deemed as serious and willful law violations, prompting the judge to impose the maximum penalty of imprisonment. Lawson was also banned from obtaining a driver’s licence for two years as part of his sentence. Evidence presented showed that Lawson had exhibited dangerous driving behaviour, reaching speeds of up to 140 km/h, and had attempted to ram a police vehicle during a pursuit. His reckless driving culminated in a crash into a power pole, highlighting the severe nature of his offences. Defence counsel described Lawson as a “deeply depressed” individual and noted that his behaviour might be interpreted as almost suicidal. However, this did not mitigate the consequences of his actions in the eyes of the court.

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