A MAGISTRATE says the court system is “sick and tired” of unprovoked attacks on innocent people, in sentencing a teenager who headbutted an intellectually disabled man at a bus stop.
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Ballarat man Jayde Higham, 19, again faced Ballarat Magistrates Court yesterday, where he was ordered to spend a further two months behind bars.
Appearing via video link from the Malmsbury Youth Detention Centre for previous offences, Higham was convicted and received a two-month sentence for the attack, plus a further one month for abusing his former partner in a DHS meeting in a separate incident.
Both sentences will be served concurrently, but on top of his current sentence.
Having delayed sentencing overnight from the previous day, magistrate Cynthia Toose yesterday hit out at Higham for not only assaulting an intellectually disabled man, but continuing to attack the victim when he tried to move away.
The victim was sitting by himself at the Little Bridge Street bus stop when he was attacked, with
Higham later telling police he had “had a bad day” when interviewed over the attack.
The victim received bruising and swelling to his forehead and scratches to his neck.
“It was an unprovoked assault on a vulnerable person,” Ms Toose said.
“The victim moved away from you and you pursued him.
“The court is sick and tired of dealing with gratuitous and unprovoked violence.”
Had Higham not pleaded guilty to the offending, Ms Toose said she would have doubled the two-month sentence.
Higham will continue to serve his sentence at Malmsbury Youth Detention Centre.
