Stomping Exeter victim Jodie Wakeling calls ex-bikie Mark Andrew Sandery, 53, ‘coward’ as court prepares for sentence

A defenceless mum attacked in the doorway of her home by a former bikie says the violent thug could have killed her if he’d taken one more kick.

A defenceless mother whose head was stomped on by a “coward” former bikie during a “powder keg” attack says she does not hate her attacker – but he changed her life forever.

On Friday, Jodie Wakeling told the District Court her attacker – infamous former bikie Mark Andrew Sandery, 53 – could have killed her with “one more kick”.

“Mark Sandery, it is a coward that puts his hands on a woman to make a woman fear a male,” a SAPOL officer read on Ms Wakeling’s behalf. “That is not power.

“That is an inferior action you let yourself succumb to, and I only hope that over time, you can take in all the damage you have caused … I wonder if you realise that one more kick or stomp to my head could have killed me.”

Former Finks and Mongols bikie gang member Mark Sandery was labelled a “coward” by the victim of his violent assault in Exeter.

Ms Wakeling, a mother of 11, described to Judge Michelle Sutcliffe how she continued to suffer crippling panic attacks and her anxiety was at a level she “never imagined dealing with”.

“I still constantly feel vulnerable and unsafe, not just when I’m out and about, but also in our home as well,” she said.

“I became incredibly depressed, and I began to feel like I was losing my mind, like some crazy person I didn’t even know … I actually felt so broken that I’d never, ever recover.”

Sandery was found guilty at trial to one count of causing harm with intent, but not guilty to serious criminal trespass and recklessly causing harm.

The jury found Sandery had attacked Ms Wakeling at Exeter on November 8, 2022, and repeatedly stomped and kicked her head before being stopped by a police officer who arrived at the scene.

Matthew De Lorme, for the prosecution, asked Judge Sutcliffe to impose a sentence disproportionate to the crime, saying Sandery – a former member of the Mongols and Finks outlaw motorcycle gangs – had spent more than three decades acting with a “complete and flagrant disregard” for the law.

Mark Sandery was found guilty of causing harm with intent by a jury. Photo: Facebook

“He’s effectively committed a steady stream of offences since 1990 … by my count, the offence for which he is to be sentenced before Your Honour will be his 27th sentence of custodial imprisonment,” Mr De Lorme said.

“ … It really is through nothing but good fortune, the actions of the SAPOL officers present, that more serious injuries were not sustained.”

Counsel for Sandery, Nick Healy, told the court that his client had “overreacted” due to a “hypersensitivity” to his children’s safety – and he was “sincerely remorseful” about his actions.

“Did he overreact? He totally accepts he did,” Mr Healy said.

“He is hypersensitive in relation to protecting his children, which perhaps is unsurprising given … years earlier, one of his sons was shot in the leg via a drive-by shooting by the Hells Angels.”

Judge Sutcliffe adjourned the matter, and will hand down sentence later this month.