Violent cases in Coffs Harbour and Grafton courts revealed

A Coffs man who kicked then bit his mum on the nose; a Grafton teen filmed assaulting her ‘ex-friend’ at a birthday party; and a man who punched his partner leaving a trail of blood – just some of the crimes detailed in Local Court recently.

A Coffs Harbour man who punched, kicked then bit his mum on the nose and a young mother's Grafton KFC bust up are just two of the disturbing cases detailed in our local courts recently.

See the full list here:

‘I’ll stab you’: trail of blood in vicious assault

Macksville man Cameron Cohen was sentenced in relation to a domestic violence incident that left the victim trailing blood from the loungeroom of her home and down the street; where she called out to neighbours who were threatened with further violence.

Cohen appeared in Macksville Local Court on Thursday, May 12, to face seven charges in relation to the incident in Macksville on the night of October 7 last year.

He was charged with: assault occasioning actual bodily harm; four separate charges of stalk and intimidate; and two charges of common assault.

The 31-year-old appeared before Magistrate David O‘Neil and told him he had not drunk alcohol since the night of the incident.

“That’s good and that’s why I am not sending you to prison,” Mr O’Neil said.

According to documents tendered to the court, Cohen was mourning the loss of a relative and was at home drinking alcohol with a friend.

At one point in the evening Cohen’s partner returned to the house and they argued over what was referred to in police facts as an ‘adulterous scene’ involving the friend earlier in the evening.

It turned into an argument and according to court documents his partner punched him and when she tried to hit him a second time he punched her in the nose and she left the lounge room trailing blood out the door and down to the street to a neighbour’s house.

Several neighbours tried to assist the victim but according to the police facts they were intimidated. ”

He was convicted of all charges and has been placed on a six-month Intensive Correction Order and directed to abstain from alcohol for that time; given an additional 18-month Community Corrections Order and ordered to complete 72 hours of community service; and fined a total of $1,500 for the two charges of common assault and two stalk and intimidate charges.

Mum punched, bitten in wild attack

Coffs Harbour man Joshua Quillan Wild was recently sentenced in relation to the sickening attack on his mother while she was trying to watch television at home.

The 25-year-old had been refused bail following the assault at the Toormina home of Wild’s mother on March 12.

Court documents had revealed the details of the attack during which Wild threw things across the room, kicked the chair his mother was sitting in and ‘used the soles of both feet’ to kick her.

He kicked her with such force, according to the court documents, that he fell to the floor. He then stood up and bit her on the nose and used a closed fist to punch her right side of the face.

The documents indicate that prior to the attack Wild had been drinking outside with his mother’s partner and he urged her to join them but she said she was happy watching the football on television.

Wild was facing seven charges:

• Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (domestic violence)
• Common assault (domestic violence)
• Stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic)
• Common assault (domestic)
• Stalk/intimidate intend fear physical etc harm (domestic)
• Two charges of destroy or damage property (domestic)

Wild was sentenced to a term of imprisonment to be served in the community as an intensive corrections order for 10 months in relation to the first two offences.

He will be supervised by community corrections and required to complete any drug or alcohol rehabilitation they order in addition to performing 100 hours’ community service.

His supervision by community corrections will continue until November 2023 under the terms of an 18-month community corrections order for the remaining charges.

Teen birthday bash

A magistrate has warned a young woman who was videoed assaulting another woman at a party in South Grafton, saying her actions could have had “catastrophic consequences”

Taleaha Maree Armstrong, 19, faced Grafton Local Court on March 14, having pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at a birthday party.

The court Armstrong pushed her victim to the ground and kicked her while down.

The Police Fact Sheet reveals Armstrong and her victim are ex-friends and both attended the party at Powell St, South Grafton on November 19 last year.

The victim arrived at about 4pm before leaving later and returning around 9.30pm to retrieve her bag. By that time Armstrong had consumed about eight vodka cruisers and the victim had consumed about six.

Armstrong began the assault because the victim had been “talking shit” about her.

A male bystander egged Armstrong on yelling “Hit the sl**.”

Mum and three children terrified in ‘extreme’ act of road rage

A former Coffs car salesman who closely followed a mum and her children, flashing his lights and ramming her car twice was sentenced in Coffs Harbour Local Court recently.

He also faced court in relation to a shocking tirade of harassment following an alleged affair.

Charles William (Bill) Churchwell, who his own lawyer said had barely a friend left in the world, was a former employee of both Coffs Harbour Toyota and Mike Blewitt Ford – but the court heard he had burnt his bridges with both outlets after the alleged affair and harassment via phone and online.

The 51-year-old was also facing charges in relation to a shocking road rage incident in the Park Beach area in May last year involving a woman with three children in her car.

Magistrate Ian Rodgers described it as an “extreme act of road rage” and “very high end version of this kind of case”.

Mr Churchwell pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to menace/harass/offend.

He was convicted, but released without passing sentence on condition he gives security of $500 and complies with a number of conditions including being of good behaviour for a period of 12 months.

He also pleaded guilty to contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO (domestic) and was convicted and sentenced to a community correction order for 12 months.

Mr Churchwell pleaded guilty to drive a motor vehicle menaces another with intent – first offence. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 10 months commencing on March 21.

The term of imprisonment was to be served by way of intensive correction in the community subject to a number of conditions including that he abstain from alcohol.

He was also convicted and fined $440 for use unregistered registrable Class A motor vehicle on road; and convicted and fined $440 for using an uninsured motor vehicle.

Fisherman assaults cop after violent bender at yacht club

With his boat forced to take shelter at Coffs Harbour in bad weather, long line fisherman Beau Daniel Groenendyk decided to go to the yacht club for a few drinks on February 2.

The plan soon went awry with the 40-year-old downing approximately 12 alcoholic drinks, Coffs Harbour Local Court heard.

Lawyer Erica Timmins told the court he had “little memory of what followed.”

At the time he was already serving an intensive corrections order, issued on January 13 last year, for a domestic assault.

Mr Rodgers outlined the shocking nature of this assault on a woman he was in a relationship with at the time.

“He grabbed her hair and pulled her down to the ground and the victim sustained a laceration to the head.”

The court heard police were called to the Coffs Harbour Jetty area by NSW Ambulance paramedics who needed help with what Magistrate Ian Rodgers said was a “separate incident”.

When officers approached, Mr Groenendyk grabbed one of them and put him in a headlock and “held tight and would not let go”.

He was charged with assaulting a police officer in the execution of duty without causing actual bodily harm and two counts of resisting or hindering a police officer in the execution of duty.

He pleaded guilty to all three charges and the magistrate imposed an aggregate term of imprisonment of 10 months, ending on January 20, 2023.

The term of imprisonment is to be served by way of intensive correction in the community which includes supervision by a Community Corrections Officer and 50 hours of community service.

Clump of hair found on porch

A man with a “record of violence” has been ordered to stay sober after a string of incidents over two nights, a court heard.

Randall Thomas Green, 33, of Nambucca Heads, fronted Macksville Local Court on Thursday, May 19, where he was convicted of larceny, common assault, two charges of destroy or damage property and apprehended violence order breaches.

Randall Thomas Green was convicted and sentenced to a 10-month intensive corrections order on a string of charges when he appeared at Macksville Local Court on May 19, 2022.

According to police facts, Green punched a woman in the forehead and dragged her by the hair out the front door at a Macksville address.

He then punched her twice more, and police allege they found a clump of hair on the veranda which had come from the victim.

Green, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to a 10-month intensive corrections order with the stipulation that he does not drink alcohol during that time.