Girl, 18, jailed for assault

Press, 8 November 1984, Page 4

Girl, 18, jailed for assault

“Ours is becoming more and more a violent community, arid every day the public is assailed with details of violent assaults perpetrated in this country,” said Judge Bradford in the District Court yesterday. He imposed a six months prison sentence on Donna Maree Dixon, aged 18, who was appearing for sentence on a charge of assaulting Penelope Frances Savage, aged 26, with intent to injure her, in the inner city on the evening of October 14. The prison sentence is to be followed by a year’s probation with special conditions that she live and work and take counselling as directed by the probation officer. The defendant had denied the charge but was convicted after a defended hearing last month and remanded to yesterday for sentence. Evidence had been that

the defendant had punched, kicked, and tried to strangle Mrs Savage, whom she knew, during a prolonged assault from the riverbank in Worcester Street to the Bridge of Remembrance.

Mrs Savage received treatment in hospital for four days after the attack.

Defence counsel (Mr K. J. Grave) had said that the assault was readily admitted but the defendant denied an intention to cause injury.

Mr Grave yesterday referred to comments yin medical or probation reports that the defendant was impulsive rather than violent, and was likely to become more stable in the future. 1

He said] the complainant had agreed she could have left the scene at any time, and referred to the defendant’s explanation of being “all mixed up” when she attacked the complainant.

Mr Grave sought a suspended sentence with probation.

The Judge said that the assault had been brutal, prolonged,' and unprovoked. It called for a deterrent sentence, to bring home to the defendant that she must control her violent impulses. Such assaults would not be tolerated by the community.