Assault with intent

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34089, 28 February 1976, Page 20

Assault with intent

After drinking fori several hours, a man at-| ; tempted to rob a barman in the drive-in bottle store of the New Brighton Tavern by threatening him with a broken! glass, .Mr Justice Roper was told in the Supreme Court yesterday. Wayne Albert Walker, aged 23, unemployed, was imprisoned for 18 months on a charge of assaulting Russell John Berrett on SeptemIber 24. 1975, with intent toi rob him. Another man was! also involved in the offence. I According to the evidence,. :the prisoner had grabbed Mr! (Berrett by the jersey with; (one hand and thrust al broken glass towards his 1 • face with the other. The! Iprisone” had attempted to! I open the till, which fell to the floor — and he and his! (companion then ran off' without stealing anything. Mr K. N. Hampton, for

i the prisoner, said that at the (time of the offence he was. ’unemployed, but he was getting a benefit and was also doing casual gardening •work. He had had no need to obtain money in a dishonest way. He had been drinkJng for most of the day. but. still had Sl3 when arrested. The offence had been committed at the instigation of the prisoner’s drinking com-, panion. but counsel con-| (ceded that it was the pris-i (oner who had carried out the assault. “The other man appears . to have been all talk,” said Ihis Honour. Mr Hampton said that the ! prisoner had only one previous conviction for dishonlesty, but had others for asIsault. Liquor was becoming.

! an increasing problem with i him. When arrested, he had ■ said: “The booze made me i do it. and I'm sorry." ; His Honour said he was 1 satisfied that the prisoner ■ had threatened the barman • with the broken glass but ijthat it had gone no further than that with the glass. ■ Drink was the prisoner's : problem, and it manifested • I itself in violence. The prisoner had been i convicted on a series of t charges and also on one of threatening to kill. He had j played a leading role in this I offence. “There is understandable : public concern about crimes ■ of violence. The only sen- ■ t.ence open to me is one of • imprisonment,” his Honour ;1 said.