Woman flung like ragdoll

A WITNESS says the body of a retired firefighter who pulled over to save a weak lamb from hungry crows was flung through the air “like a ragdoll” when a farm manager hit her with his car.

The alleged victim, Sharon McClay, 51, of Gray, gave evidence in court yesterday.

She claimed Brendan John Jordan mowed her down with his four-wheel-drive after an altercation when he found her in a paddock at St Marys on September 24, 2018.

Mr Jordan, 45, from Falmouth, has pleaded not guilty

PATRICK GEE

to common assault and failing to stop after being involved in a crash, but admitted to hitting Mrs McClay accidentally.

A hearing was held at Launceston Magistrates Court yesterday before Magistrate Sharon Cure.

Under questioning from Crown prosecutor Emily Radin, Mrs McClay said she decided to enter the paddock because she “was fearful the lamb would have her eyes pecked out while she was alive”.

She told the court Mr Jordan arrived at the paddock, snatched the lamb out of her arms by the scruff of its neck and, in doing so, clipped her under the jaw with his right hand.

She said he then launched into a “torrid” rant, saying; “you effing people don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve been a farmer for 30 years” and shook the lamb at her saying, “this is money”.

“I called him a cruel effing bastard,” she said.

The pair left the paddock and returned to their cars.

“Then he made a threat that made me think I need to be able to identify this person,” Mrs McClay said.

She was trying to photograph his registration plates when he drove away, but then he turned around and drove back towards her.

“He just kept coming on the verge instead of completing the turn and going onto the asphalt,” Mrs McClay said.

“I was looking at my phone and all of a sudden I had excruciating pain through my left leg and felt momentum and realised it was his car hitting me.”

A sequence of photos tendered as evidence showed the car moving towards her until the phone was knocked from her hands. Witness Toni Jones told the court of seeing Mrs McClay “go flying” and a white ute speeding off as she drove towards family.

“I stopped the car and screamed. It was quite confronting,” Mrs Jones told the court. “[Her body] was flung like a ragdoll about a metre off the ground.”

Mrs McClay’s leg was broken in three places and she now has a plate and three screws in her ankle.

She had a second surgery to repair damaged tendons in her right hand.

Mr Jordan gave evidence yesterday telling the court that when he arrived at the paddock and approached Mrs McClay, she was abusive and the scene with her began swearing at him before he reached her.

“I said I want my lamb back. She proceeded to try and walk around me,” he said.

Mr Jordan admitted hitting Mrs McClay with his car, but said it was accidental, and that she had walked in front of his car as he pulled out after stopping to write her registration number down. He told the court he left the scene because he was worried about further confrontation with witnesses who arrived at the scene, but called an ambulance.

Magistrate Cure will hear closing submissions from council on March 17.