Scott Kenworthy: Hill Top teen bashed men to “save” mate’s sister

A teenager who rushed into a house and carried out a “red hot” assault on two men after an all-day bender has blamed peer pressure for the attack.

An “immature” Hill Top teenager has been sentenced to imprisonment after an unprovoked home attack in the Southern Highlands.

Scott Darren Kenworthy, 19, faced Goulburn District Court on March 31 on charges of entering a home with intention to intimidate, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and reckless wounding.

The court heard the teen defended entering the home and bashing the two victims by saying he had to “save” their mate’s sister.

Scott Darren Kenworthy plead guilty to entering the Braemar home with intent to intimidate and to assaulting the two victims.

On March 14, 2020, Kenworthy and his co-accused met up with friends and had “an all-day bender”, the court heard. One of the friends got a call from his father asking him to meet in Braemar.

The father explained he’d dropped off his daughter at a house with a friend, but was uneasy because there were men there in their 20s who he was worried would give his daughter alcohol, according to court documents.

When the group arrived at the house, the father picked up his teen daughter and left quickly. Kenworthy said he felt he needed to defend his friend’s sister.

After shouting for “the boys to come out” and calling them “p***ies”, Kenworthy and his co-accused pulled masks over their faces and entered the home.

Scott Darren Kenworthy was supported in court by his parents, despite his claims they don’t get along well.

The court documents state when the resident came towards him, Kenworthy started punching him in the face and when a 21-year-old bystander tried to pull him off, he turned and beat him. His co-accused, who was armed with a wooden plank, also allegedly beat the bystander before they left the house.

The 22-year-old was left with soft tissue injuries and a haemorrhage near his left eye and the 21-year-old suffered a fractured nose, affected eyesight, a 3-4cm gash on his forehead that needed stitches, and spine tenderness, according to court documents.

The court heard Kenworthy called the assault “red hot” and told friends he’d bashed the victims, but he lied to police at the time, saying he had never been to the house and didn’t know the inhabitants.

“I panicked,” Kenworthy said in court.

Judge Mark Williams said Kenworthy’s white knight defence “must be rejected”.

Scott Darren Kenworthy testified he has stopped hanging out with bad influences.

He noted Kenworthy had a difficult upbringing in Bowral with two alcoholic parents who he said verbally abused him. The court also heard Kenworthy has been using drugs and alcohol since a young age and self-medicated with cannabis for ADHD.

However, Kenworthy said he had been clean since he was arrested on March 15 last year and avoids negative influences because “jail is not worth it.”

“I can’t look at myself in the mirror without thinking I’m a degenerate criminal,” he said.

Kenworthy’s lawyer, Benjamin Archbold, said his client was “immature” and easily influenced.

“It’s quite clear that this is an offence borne out of immaturity and out of the peer pressure of someone his age,” he said.

He highlighted the co-offender who was carrying the wooden plank as being more “morally culpable”, despite Kenworthy’s instigation of the assault.

Scott Darren Kenworthy appeared in Goulburn District Court for sentencing.

The crown prosecutor noted Kenworthy appeared to be blaming everyone else for his actions.

Ms Hughes argued there were aggravating factors to the crime.

“This is a totally unprovoked attack with a degree of planning involved,” she said.

“It’s totally inappropriate for this matter to be dealt with in any way other than custodial penalty. It’s too serious.”

Judge Williams agreed the offences necessitated imprisonment and sentenced Kenworthy to 20 months imprisonment to be served as an intensive corrections order.

He will also consider imposing a period of home detention which he believes would remove negative peer influences. Kenworthy will reappear in Goulburn Court on May 7, 2021, for a sentencing assessment report which will determine whether he will be detained at home.