Chef Jess Barnes pleads guilty to assaulting two TV reporters after his court appearance for vandalising Adelaide businesses
He used a photo of himself attacking and spitting at TV reporters as his online dating profile picture. But the only date this Adelaide chef scored was with the courts – to face charges of assault.
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Minutes after a court showed him mercy, chef and graffiti vandal Jess Alan Barnes repaid that leniency by attacking two members of the media – and spitting on a microphone.
On Tuesday, Jess Alan Barnes returned to court to face charges over the incident which, bizarrely, he had used to promote his eligibility on an online dating website.
Instead of a hot date, Barnes is now heading for a possible two-year jail term for assault – as well as a conviction and 18-month sentence for his original crimes.
Barnes, 39, of Walkerville, first faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court over the spray-paint defacing of 20 businesses along Rundle St in February, which was caught on CCTV.
Barnes pleaded guilty, and was released on a good behaviour bond, after blaming a mixture of alcohol, mental health issues, marital strife and new medication for his offending.
Just minutes later, as he walked from the court, he knocked a female reporter into a chair, failed to grab a microphone from the hands of another and spat on a second microphone.
Barnes subsequently used a photograph of the clash as his profile picture on the Tinder dating app – it was removed by the company for violating its rules and policies.
On Tuesday, Barnes appeared in court charged with three basic counts of assault.
His defence counsel said their client wanted a plea bargain deal, in which he would confess to the first two charges so long as the third was dropped.
The Advertiser understands the third count relates to Barnes spitting on the microphone.
SA Police prosecutors told the court they were prepared to accept that deal – but that their case against Barnes was not yet over.
They asked for time to lay a further charge that he had breached the conditions of his good behaviour bond through his out-of-court antics.
That would see Barnes subject to the reactivation of his graffiti sentence, and the conviction he was spared, as well as the maximum two-year sentence for assault.
Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos agreed to grant that time, and remanded Barnes to face court again next month for submissions and sentence.