Mitchell Haskell struck good Samaritan with a hammer, leaving ‘permanent dent’ in skull
A good Samaritan, who went to the aid of his neighbour during a domestic violence attack, has been left with a “permanent dent” in the side of his head, a court has heard.
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A good Samaritan who went to the aid of his female neighbour as she called for help during a domestic violence attack has been left with a “permanent dent” in the side of his head, a court has heard.
Mitchell Corey Haskell, 29, of Park Holme, attacked Ruben Barry with a hammer as he tried to intervene in the domestic dispute at Morphett Vale on October 19, 2021.
In a victim impact statement prosecutor James Slocombe read to the District Court on Wednesday, Mr Barry described his injury.
“I’ve got a permanent dent to the left side of my head as a result of the hammer blow that I suffered,” he said in the statement.
“It is inconclusive as to whether this dent has damaged my brain at all.”
He said he had difficulty trusting his own thoughts and the attack had a profound impact on his life.
He said he had suffered anxiety, stress and difficulty sleeping and had battled constant headaches, buzzing and dizziness.
Mr Slocombe said Haskell had committed “wanton violence” against Mr Barry.
“Mr Barry has gone to the aid of (his neighbour) and the strike was immediate and he’s had a very difficult recovery,” he said.
“It was an injury to a good Samaritan in the course of domestic dispute.”
He that the attack involving the hammer had breached an earlier suspended sentence bond for carrying an offensive weapon.
Peter Hill, for Haskell, said his client had “no excuse for what happened that night”.
He said his client had spent his past two birthdays behind bars and was “certainly at fork in the road as to what the rest of his life will look like”.
“He instructs that his time in custody has been a salutary experience and he does not ever wish to return to custody. He wants to get out … obtain employment and be a law-abiding member of the community.”
He asked the court afford the full available discounts to his client for his early guilty pleas to charges of aggravated causing harm with intent and threatening to cause harm.
“(His) remorse is reflected in the early guilty pleas that have been entered,” he said.
He said the community would be “best-served” by a longer period on parole.
Judge Michael Burnett will sentence Haskell next month.