Man Damages Taxi, "racially Vilifies" Driver, Jailed 12 Hours Later

[Priestley]

I hope the police do the same with the next person who damages my property and threatens me. Pretty unlikely though...

http://www.theage.com.au/national/swift-ja...00115-mckj.html

A 48-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for racially abusing and threatening to kill an Indian taxi driver in Ballarat early yesterday.

Magistrate Michelle Hodgson sentenced Paul John Brogden, of Navigators, to three months' jail, little more than 12 hours after he attacked the 24-year-old taxi driver.

Ballarat Magistrates Court was told that Brogden and his brother got into the taxi shortly after 2am and asked to be driven to Navigators, outside Ballarat.

But Brogden, who had drunk 24 cans of beer and taken Valium, became abusive after asking the driver to take a faster route.

He told the driver he would kill him when he dropped him off, then racially vilified him.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Clint Prebble said the driver pressed the emergency button in his cab and pulled into a petrol station for help.

''The defendant followed him inside and verbally abused him,'' Leading Senior Constable Prebble said.

Brogden then assaulted an unidentified man at the petrol bowser before returning to the taxi, where he smashed the windscreen with his arm, ripped out a navigation device and damaged a radio.

The taxi driver was uninjured in the attack.

Police arrested Brogden at the scene and, when asked to explain, his behaviour, he said: ''I am a dickhead, I f---ed up.''

Brogden pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful assault, one count of making threats to kill and one count of intentionally damaging property.

Defence lawyer Philip Lynch said Brogden was ''appalled'' by his behaviour, remembered little about it and had asked for his case to be heard quickly.

[teK--]

If the law was only always so quick and effective!

[VB-]

he must have been on a suspended sentence or something. they cant have charged him for that then locked him up straight away with a given sentence.

is there anything legal, regarding how long you have between being charged and fronting for court. surely your allowed time to get a lawyer and put together a defence

Edited January 16, 2010 by VB-

[wanzi]

he must have been on a suspended sentence or something. they cant have charged him for that then locked him up straight away with a given sentence.

is there anything legal, regarding how long you have between being charged and fronting for court. surely your allowed time to get a lawyer and put together a defence

the guy was a drug f**ked bogan who purposly assaulted people n damaged property, what defence would he have had? He deserves to be locked up along with the rest of the scum off the street

[Birds]

he must have been on a suspended sentence or something. they cant have charged him for that then locked him up straight away with a given sentence.

is there anything legal, regarding how long you have between being charged and fronting for court. surely your allowed time to get a lawyer and put together a defence

That's possible, he may have broken good behaviour. I'd say it's because Ballarat Magistrates didn't have much going on, the man expressed desire to plead guilty and have his case heard ASAP/AFAP and probably already had a favourite lawyer on hand - open and shut case, see you in 3 months.

[GODZ1LLA]

Serves the guy right (the attacker) idiots like that need to be locked up.

[Priestley]

I don't believe the Magistrates court has ever worked this quickly. There must be more to this story. Perhaps pressure from the Brumby government? The breaking good behaviour idea is also possible.

If our legal system worked this efficiently all of the time it would great, can't see it happening any time soon unfortunately.

[llama_au]

If only it was always that quick. Good way to get scum off the street quickly.