Suppression refused on assault charges

Press, 19 April 1989, Page 12

Suppression refused on assault charges

An interim suppression of name was refused in the District Court yesterday for a man and a woman convicted of assaulting a man, aged 56, who lived with them.

Avery Patricia Reed, aged 40, and Wayne John Reed, aged 30, were remanded to May 9 for sentence by Judge Bisphan.

Detective Sergeant Rick McCaskill said the complainant had lived with the two defendants. On December 23, last year the complainant suffered an asthmatic attack. He was taken to hospital

where he died on December 29. Because bruises and marks were found on the body of the deceased, an inquest was held which confirmed the death was the result of natural causes. Police inquiries showed that while living with the Reeds the complainant had been pushed and punched on occasions by the two defendants,. said Sergeant McCaskill. On one occasion Mrs Reed had put a blanket over the man’s head and had hit him with a stick. The man had also been barricaded in his room at

night. Mrs Reed told the police the man was difficult to look after and had become a burden. She was fed up with clearing up his mess at nights. That, she said, was why he had been barricaded in his room to stop him wandering about and to give everyone a rest.

Both defendants were first offenders, said Sergeant McCaskill. Counsel, Mr Tony Garrett, said while there was a degree of complexity to the assault charges, the complainant’s death had not been due to the actions of his clients.