A group of people "carried on like a bunch of savages" when a woman encouraged two boys to bash a man she knew, who was then dragged unconscious from her home and left half-naked in the street.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Natalie Burt, 42, pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury to the man in the early hours of July 29, 2018, at her house in a Ballarat suburb.
The County Court at Ballarat was told on Thursday the victim had been asked to leave Burt's house but he refused. He made unwarranted demands towards Burt and he produced a pocket knife to threaten her.
Crown prosecutor Bruce Nibbs said the victim was removed from the house and while on the ground, the bashing occurred. At one point, Burt yelled "give the dog what he deserves".
Mr Nibbs said one of the boys was wearing steel capped boots during the assault. The victim received serious injuries to his upper body, face and head. He was bleeding and unconscious.
The victim was dragged down the street and at 3.25am, a man arriving home found the victim on his front lawn, half-naked with serious injuries.
Burt told police she did not know how the man had ended up around the corner half-naked and she denied standing over him while the two boys kicked and punched him.
"We can't have people - however intellectually impaired, however drunk - we can't have people standing around while he is being kicked and punched. This man nearly died."
- Judge Lacava
The court was told one of the boys pleaded not guilty on the basis of mental impairment, while the second boy pleaded guilty to assaulting the victim in company. Both boys appeared in a Children's Court.
Judge Paul Lacava said the victim was unconscious for a long time and almost died in the ugly attack. He said Burt's penalty must deter other people from similar behaviour.
"This is an ugly incident. We can't have people behaving like this. They are all carrying on like a bunch of savages. They are lucky it didn't result in death," Judge Lacava said.
"We can't have people - however intellectually impaired, however drunk - we can't have people standing around while he is being kicked and punched. This man nearly died."
Defence barrister Robert Thyssen said Burt was not directly involved in the bashing and the two co-accused were responding to the victim's threats towards his client.
Agreeing with the judge, Mr Thyssen said Burt encouraged the bashing and she did intend for some injury to occur.
He submitted Burt, who has an intellectual disability, should be sentenced to a community correction order with an emphasis on treatment, which the prosecution did not dispute.
"It's a situation of a person who has had a pretty tough hand dealt to her. She is doing all she can. She has turned her life around. She is a good person," Mr Thyssen said.
Judge Lacava said he was worried about sentencing the mother-of-four to a community correction order because the attack was so violent.
He said he needed more evidence on Burt's intellectual disability and ordered a pre-sentence report as her suitability for a community correction order.
"I don't want to impose a disposition that will set her up to fail," the judge said.
Burt's bail was extended until April 2 for a further plea and sentence hearing. The maximum penalty for intentionally causing injury is 10 years' imprisonment.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.
