Magistrate teaches NRL thug Russell Packer a hard lesson, jailed two years over assault
IT took a gutsy Sydney magistrate to finally answer the pleas of a city struggling against a tide of street violence yesterday.
IT took a gutsy Sydney magistrate to finally answer the pleas of a city struggling against a tide of street violence yesterday when he jailed NRL star Russell Packer for two years for a drunken coward punch.
Magistrate Greg Grogin berated the Newcastle Knights prop, telling him the community was "sick and tired" of alcohol-fuelled violence.
A shocked Packer, 24, applied for bail pending an appeal of the sentence and despite police declining to oppose his release, Mr Grogin ruled he would stay behind bars.
Packer pleaded guilty in Downing Centre Local Court to punching 22-year-old Lester Time in the side of the head with a clenched fist, causing him to stumble backwards in November last year.
Packer, who had been kicked out of a Martin Place bar for being drunk before the attack, then moved forward and continued to strike Mr Time in the head repeatedly until he fell backwards and was "motionless" on the ground, where he punched him in the head again and stomped on his face, leaving the victim with two fractures.
"Your behaviour on that night was nothing short of disgraceful," Magistrate Grogin told Packer in court.
"It is deplorable ... you should be ashamed. The community is sick and tired of the behaviour you exhibited that night."
He said the former New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand representative player was not on a "higher pedestal than anyone else" because of his social status.
Packer's lawyer Murugan Thangaraj appeared gobsmacked by the decision, claiming in court he had "no idea a punishment so severe was being considered" and he asked the court to grant Packer bail pending his appeal - a request rejected by Mr Grogin.
"(Mr Thangarai), you ask 'what do we want our justice system to be?' I ask 'what do we want our community to be?' The one word answer is 'safe'," he said.
Packer had a clean criminal history, had entered an early guilty plea and had attempted to seek rehabilitation for a "long standing alcohol problem".
Mr Time welcomed the jailing of his attacker on Facebook, telling friends "have a good Monday people".
The sentence came despite a letter from Newcastle Knights coach Wayne Bennett to the court defending his player.
"If given the opportunity, the Knights can help him develop his social skills," the letter read. "There is a strong leadership group at the Knights who are all committed to working with Mr Packer during the rehabilitation process."
He said the club had organised a treatment plan dubbed "Project Packer", which would address his issues involving alcohol, anger management, etiquette and social skills, as well as helping him with community service.
Packer's girlfriend wept as he was ushered from the courtroom in handcuffs.
While Mr Grogin was unambiguous in his stance on the epidemic of alcohol-fuelled street violence, Acting Premier Andrew Stoner yesterday refused to answer direct questions about whether he supported The Daily Telegraph's ENOUGH campaign to end alcohol-fuelled violence through minimum sentences.
RUSSELL PACKER'S HISTORY:
2011:While playing for New Zealand, Packer smashes Australian captain Darren Lockyer with an elbow in Lockyer's first game after a cheekbone fracture. Given a
one-match ban.
June 2013: Fined $15,000 for bringing the game into disrepute after urinating on the field during an Auckland Warriors-Brisbane Broncos match at Suncorp Stadium.
November 2013: NRL refuses to register his contract with the Knights following his arrest.
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