Groom Joshua Bovis jailed for six months for hitting a police officer during bucks party brawl
A groom has had three months jail shaved off his sentence on appeal but will still spend time behind bars for “reprehensible” violence towards police.
Central Coast
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A groom off his head on grog and cocaine, who repeatedly punched a police officer when his buck’s party erupted in a wild brawl, has had three months shaved off his non-parole period on appeal.
However, despite Gosford District Court Judge Tanya Bright finding Joshua Norman Bovis was a cleanskin, had good prospects of rehabilitation and showed genuine remorse, she could not let his “reprehensible” violence toward police go unpunished.
The 29-year-old was sentenced to 12 months jail with a non-parole period of nine months and fined $900 for using violence to cause fear, assaulting police and failing to quit a licenced premises at Gosford Local Court in September.
He appealed the severity of his sentence in the District Court where he gave evidence and expressed his remorse.
Judge Bright said he had been drinking all day and had used cocaine on the night of his buck’s party.
A set of agreed facts said Bovis, of Ettalong Beach, and others had been drinking at The Newport on February 23 when the group, all wearing loud Hawaiian shirts, caught a ferry to Patonga sometime after 6pm.
When they approached the Boathouse a staff member determined they were noticeably affected by alcohol and denied them entry.
“At this point (the staff member) was met by hostility from numerous persons, distinctly the accused Joshua Bovis who took particular offence to being refused,” police facts read.
“After being told several more times, Joshua Bovis approached (the staff member) before slapping him a number of times to the back of the head.”
Police were called and when they went to arrest him he pushed one officer’s hand away.
Fearing he would overcome by Bovis the officer deployed a burst of capsicum spray to his face “with little effect”.
“Seconds later Joshua Bovis threw a flurry of five to six punches at (the Senior Constable) each of which struck him in the face and head,” the facts read.
“This resulted in a major violent confrontation to commence.”
The court heard Bovis was a scaffolder who had two children and one step child to his partner.
He was described in a number of references as a hard working, honest man and a devoted father.
Judge Bright said while she accepted his remorse and “special circumstances” given it would be his first time in custody “the conduct of the appellant is an affront to civilised society” and involved “reprehensible” violence towards police.
She allowed the appeal and sentenced him to 12 months jail but varied the non-parole period to six months.
The court heard his father Michael Bovis had been sentenced to an intensive corrections order for 12 months and fined $400 for his part in the drunken melee, while another co-accused Cullen Richardson, 18, was given a community corrections order for 12 months and fined $100.
A fourth co-accused Luke Maloney, 35, has pleaded not guilty to assaulting police, using violence to cause fear and failing to quit a licenced premises and will face a hearing in November.