Zye Smith: South Grafton man, 19, jailed for repeat violent offending, including attacking ex while on parole, court orders

A young Clarence man who bashed two men and stole motorbikes has now been jailed for attacking his ex while on parole as he faces as little as three years to live due to a terminal illness.

Smith was jailed for 30 months as he stares down a terminal illness. File image.

A young Grafton man who bashed two men and stole motorbikes has been jailed for 30 months for assaulting his ex while on parole as he faces three to five years to live due to a terminal illness.

Zye Smith faced Grafton Local Court over videolink from custody.

On Monday, the 19-year-old has been jailed from a backdated date of July 30 last year after pleading guilty to two counts of intimidation, common assault and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Zye Smith (centre) continued to breach court orders.

He was on parole and court ordered intensive correction and community correction orders when he assaulted the woman.

The court heard Smith suffers from renal, or kidney failure and has a prognosis of three to five years to live - a significant portion of which he is due to spend behind bars due to continual violent offending.

He was previously allowed to return to the community on a 12-month correction order after a two-year prison sentence was successfully appealed.

Smith attacked a pedestrian in November 2022, punching and kicking him while he was downed.

Days later, he broke into a Grafton home and stole four small motorbikes, the court heard.

Zye Smith. Picture: Facebook.

Ssentenced for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, being carried in a vehicle taken without consent, causing use of an unregistered vehicle and unlicensed driving, Magistrate Roger Prowse described Smith as “a gutless coward” and “an unmitigated thug”.

Smith was once again jailed after he pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm.

He punched a man in the face in April 2023, the victim fell and “hit his head on a metal pole”.

But Smith’s stint behind bars on remand was again brief and he was soon back on the streets

Smith’s ex-girlfriend went to his South Grafton home to return some of his belongings on July 17 last year, court documents state.

She said she needed to leave and Smith told her he could not go on in life without her.

The situation soured when she received a Snapchat and Smith accused her of seeing someone else.

Smith “stopped her and pushed her against the wall” when she tried to leave, police state.

He then “picked up a pair of scissors” and threatened to “slash her tyres” and “smash her car so she couldn’t leave“.

Smith grabbed the woman by the throat, punched the left side of her face and held her in a bear hug so she could not escape.

He was arrested a few days later after he again met up with the victim. Smith accused her of contacting an ex-partner, the documents state.

Smith attacked his ex-girlfriend, punching her and grabbing her by the throat.

He said “she would be hurt” if the victim did not drive him around Grafton.

Smith pulled the handbrake up while the car was moving, squeezed the woman’s thigh tightly and told her to “pull the f--k over”.

He verbally abused the woman - labelling her a sl-t, a wh-re and a gronk.

Smith again grabbed her by the throat during the domestic violence offending.

Defence lawyer Barbara Lu conceded the offending was aggravated due to court orders in place.

Smith had been in custody on remand for just over four months.

The court heard Smith had been living with an array of mental health conditions and exhibiting symptoms of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Ms Lu told the court Smith was exposed to drugs, homelessness and family violence at a young age

“He has had a very rough upbringing,” she said.

Magistrate Roger Prowse agreed Smith had a difficult background, but said he was continually committing violent offences and displayed “entrenched anti-social attitudes”.

“These entrenched attitudes see you blaming everybody apart from yourself,” Mr Prowse said.

Smith was convicted and remained in custody.