A group of people viciously assaulted a Beaufort woman with weapons in a birthday party gone wrong, a court has been told.
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The group of people travelled from Sunshine to the 18th birthday party in Beaufort after midnight on February 5 after word got out friends at the party were being chased with scissors and a tazer.
Peter Sacco pleaded guilty at Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday to overloading his car with passengers and affray for his part in the incident.
He was initially contesting the charges but accepted a sentence indication from magistrate John Bentley. The court was told Sacco’s co-accused’s had pleaded guilty and received community corrections orders.
Court documents obtained by The Courier show Sacco drove one of two cars to the party after receiving a phone call from a boy saying his friends at a party in Beaufort were being chased.
CCTV footage from Beaufort’s United Service Station showed Sacco, a p-plate driver, had six passengers in his car while the second car had 10 passengers.
Sacco told police he took out a screw driver and put it into his car because “it looked like something was going to happen” – indicating he knew a confrontation was going to occur.
The documents describe the victim – the birthday teenager’s mother – used a taser on one of the group’s members but she was overpowered and viciously assaulted.
She was taken to Ballarat Base Hospital where she remained for two days, requiring stitches to her forehead and ongoing painkillers for multiple deep bruising where she was struck with a weapon.
The woman, 45, was readmitted to hospital in March and still reports mental anguish over the assault, court documents show.
Her son states he was assaulted with poles and baseball bats before escaping to nearby bush land. The next day he was diagnosed with bleeding on the lung, welts and a cut lip.
Following the 10 to 15 minute assault the attacking party returned to their vehicles and drove from the scene. Sacco was arrested on March 2.
Mr Bentley sentenced Sacco to a 15-month community corrections order with conviction. He was fined $150.
He must complete 100 hours of unpaid community work and participate in anger management counselling and a road trauma awareness program. Sacco was ordered to provide a forensic sample to police.