Judiciary shamed by poor decision
HOW many more paramedics and emergency service workers will be treated like punching bags by drunken, drugged-up low-life individuals before Victorian courts start to deliver some semblance of justice to victims?
The quashing of jail sentences against two women who attacked paramedic Paul Judd, kicking and punching him, breaking his foot, then ramming the ambulance with their car, drew widespread community condemnation and rightly so.
Instead Amanda Warren, 33, and Caris Underwood, 20, walked free from court on community corrections orders leaving everyone asking — what the hell is going on with our judicial system.
When a gutted Mr Judd addressed the media outside Melbourne County Court, he left no doubt justice had failed him.
Not only had he seen jail sentences against the two women quashed on appeal, he then had to watch as both walked free.
Handing down her decision, County Court Judge Barbara Cotterell said the two offenders were “not suitable vehicles” for general deterrence and their difficult childhoods constituted “special reasons”.
Judge Cotterell said Underwood, who was 18 at the time, also had a “low psychosocial immaturity linked to her traumatic childhood” and both had difficult childhoods.
It was a slap in the face for Mr Judd, the sting compounded when the judge apologised to him, saying, “I’m really sorry and can see you are badly affected. I just want to say I wish there was more I could do for you.
“I can tell that you are suffering and feel that a great injustice has been done.”
As the rest of the community would say, how about you bloody well lock them up and show them that assaulting paramedics, or any emergency workers for that matter, demands jail? Now that would be a start! And why on earth should any victim of such vicious aggression be made to suffer twice — once at the hands of his assailants and then by a court decision so far removed from community expectations of what is right and just and fair that it beggars belief?
The charges against Warren and Underwood stemmed from an incident in March 2016, when Mr Judd and a colleague were trying to treat an unconscious man at Reservoir.
The drunken pair attacked him, repeatedly punching and kicking him, leaving him with a broken foot.
Two years on, Mr Judd has had three operations, still suffers pain and remains unable to return to work. And that is without taking into account the emotional and financial toll it will have taken on him and his family.
Warren and Underwood were charged and sentenced in the Magistrates’ Court to six months and four months jail.
Ah! Some semblance of justice you might say. But it didn’t last long. The two appealed and the County Court, in its infinite wisdom quashed those sentences last week. According to Ambulance Victoria, one paramedic is assaulted every 50 hours and, with no firm message of deterrence being sent by courts, such disgraceful assaults continue unabated.
Every day paramedics are punched, kicked, spat on and abused — all this and more, incredibly, while carrying out their duties of trying to save lives.
Sure the State Government has pledged to tighten loopholes in the legislation so that mandatory will mean mandatory and mitigating excuses will not include being alcohol/drugaffected or difficult childhoods.
But it will come down to those handsomely paid members of the judiciary to deliver justice and, let’s be honest, if they still can’t see beyond giving the offender a break, then God help us all.
Our emergency service workers must be protected and the message sent loud and clear that those who attack, abuse and assault them will be taking an allexpenses paid holiday at her majesty’s pleasure. No ifs, buts or maybes! In the meantime, thank God for the internet. The faces of Warren with her middle finger raised and a smug Underwood are all over it, so at least we all know what these despicable creeps look like.
“How about you bloody well lock them up and show them that assaulting paramedics, or any emergency workers for that matter, demands jail?”