Robert Vivian Summerhayes from Dorrigo in Coffs Harbour court for domestic violence
A former hospital security guard and aspiring nurse made threats to throw a woman off a cliff and injure two people – including a police officer – to avoid being apprehended.
Coffs Harbour
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A former hospital security guard and aspiring nurse made threats to throw a woman off a cliff and injure two people – including a police officer – to avoid being apprehended.
Robert Vivian Summerhayes, from the small town of Dorrigo in the Coffs Coast hinterland, also armed himself with knives with the intent to inflict wounds on another person.
The 36-year-old recently attempted to have the eight charges he was slapped with - following an incident in Dorrigo on June 26 - diverted from the criminal system.
His lawyer Todd Ritchie told Coffs Harbour Court on November 12 that his client grew up witnessing domestic violence and was also a victim of it.
Mr Ritchie said Summerhayes had struggled with his mental health since childhood and urged the magistrate to divert the matter from the criminal system to the mental health system under what’s known as the Mental Health and Cognitive Impairment Forensic Provisions Act 2020.
Since the incident his security licence has been suspended and his pursuit of a Diploma of Nursing “in limbo”, Mr Ritchie said.
Police prosecutor David Sams told the court that Summerhayes’ threats were calculated and involved him telling one of the victims “I’ll throw you off the cliff”.
Magistrate Julia Virgo said the charges were “so serious” and it was “regrettable” that Summerhayes had not sought a mental health diagnosis earlier.
She declined the application and set a hearing date for March 7 where he will defend a charge of intentionally choking .
Summerhayes has pleaded guilty to seven remaining charges including three charges of common assault and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He has also pleaded guilty to arming himself with knives with the intent to commit an indictable offence (wounding); threatening to injure two people – including a police officer – to avoid being apprehended; and stalking and intimidation.
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