Guity plea to street attack

TWO men in their 20s yesterday pleaded guilty to bashing a middle-aged couple as they walked home from a suburban pub.

Richard Keith Peace, 21, admitted unlawfully assaulting Kevin Coxon and causing grievous harm to his partner Karen Sims as the couple walked home from the Parap Tavern on December 11, 2004.

His co-offender 20-year-old Douglas Richardson pleaded guilty to unlawfully assaulting Mr Coxon and Ms Sims and also admitted threatening Mr Coxon with a stick.

Ms Sims, 42, sustained a fractured jaw in the attack while Mr Coxon, 50, required six stitches in his right eyebrow and had his nose broken.

Prosecutor Stephen Geary told the Supreme Court the couple were on their way home when they were approached by Peace and Richardson, who had been drinking together for most of the day.

The court heard the men became aggressive towards the couple when they declined to buy marijuana.

Richardson picked up a stick and ran around the couple before hitting Mr Coxon on the arm.

"Sims chased him and Richardson threw a bottle at her but it missed," the prosecutor said. "The offender was laughing.

"A melee developed ... Peace punched and kicked Coxon while he was on the ground."

Mr Geary said Peace also punched Ms Sims twice.

Peace's lawyer Mark Johnson said his client had no reasonable explanation for hitting Ms Sims except she was "winding him up".

"He needs to learn to deal with his anger ... and stay clear of alcohol," Mr Johnson said.

But the prosecutor said the 21-year-old's record - including an appearance in Darwin Juvenile Court two days before the assault - "suggests a contempt for the court process".

Supreme Court judge David Angel said the attack constituted "a serious assault on a stranger" and adjourned the case for sentencing tomorrow.


Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Thursday, 26 January, 2006
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Rebecca Hewett
Email: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://www.ntnews.com.au