Alex Dryer, Tabitha Walsh: Denman couple sentenced over Surfrider Caravan Park wounding

A 24-year-old woman and her partner have been sentenced over wounding her ex-boyfriend with a chilli sauce bottle and branch in his own home because he was using her Spotify account.

A couple’s romantic night drinking alcohol and listening to music at a Wollongong beach unravelled when the young woman noticed the songs they were playing on Spotify were changing against their will.

Tabitha Walsh’s anger at the suspicion her ex-partner was behind the act culminated in a midnight drive to his home and a fight involving a chilli sauce bottle, a knife, a branch and a broken boom gate.

Walsh, 24, and her boyfriend Alex Dryer, 28 – both from Denman in the Upper Hunter Region – learned their fate in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court for wounding Walsh’s ex-boyfriend at a caravan park in Barrack Point, Shellharbour.

The court heard Walsh was drunk when she chose to get behind the wheel, shortly after midnight on March 8 last year, and drive with Dryer to the Surfrider Caravan Park, where they rocked up uninvited to the victim’s caravan.

The 53-year-old victim was sitting on his bed with the door to his caravan open, having returned home from work minutes earlier.

Alex Dryer, a man alleged to be involved in a caravan park stabbing, is pictured leaving Downing Centre District Court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Seb Haggett

Walsh yelled at the victim about accessing her Spotify account, to which the victim responded by “punching out at both Walsh and Dryer,” agreed facts read out by Judge Garry Neilson state.

A wrestle ensued between the victim and Dryer – who the facts state was trying to help Walsh – which spilled out of the caravan and caused the victim to fall down some stairs and land against a parked car.

Still reading the facts, Judge Neilson said Dryer punched the victim several times in the body and head. The victim punched back and Dryer hit the victim with a “large, thick stick”.

“Meanwhile Ms Walsh obtained a chilli sauce bottle from the caravan and while the victim was trying to fight off Mr Dryer, Ms Walsh ran out and hit the victim on head with the chilli sauce bottle,” he said.

“As a result of the actions with the chilli sauce bottle and the branch, the victim suffered a 10cm right front skull laceration. He also suffered a 5cm wound to his chest which was inflicted by Mr Walsh.

“The victim also had two other lacerations in the skull, one 5cm and one 4cm long.”

The court heard Dryer yelled “let’s go” while still outside the caravan and the victim started walking towards a neighbour’s caravan. Both the victim and Walsh are friends of the residents of the neighbouring caravan as Walsh used to live at the caravan park.

According to the facts, Walsh followed the victim to the friend’s caravan and the friend armed Walsh with a knife, which she was “swinging while yelling at the victim”.

Downing Centre Court on Liverpool Street, Sydney.

Dryer pulled Walsh away and the couple left the caravan park to walk to their car, which was parked a short distance away.

But Walsh was not done. She drove the car back into the caravan park, crashing into and damaging the boom gate, and “revved the engine while stationed outside [the friend’s] caravan, appearing to be some gesture of annoyance,” the facts read.

The defence solicitor for Ms Walsh and Dryer told the court the facts show the couple’s actions were “excessive self-defence,” which the prosecution did not dispute but said Judge Neilson should not lose sight of the objective seriousness of the offence and the nature of the injury.

Judge Neilson said the victim had to be treated for his wounds, which were visible on his head, but were not severe as he was able to provide a statement to police while in hospital recovering.

Judge Neilson said it was clear Walsh’s intoxication influenced her judgement. He said when the victim saw two people enter his house uninvited, one can understand he sought immediately to defend himself.

“It appears Dryer became involved because he perceived Ms Walsh was being attacked by the victim”.

But Judge Neilson said suggesting the couples’ actions were merely self-defence “smacks as victim blaming when she could’ve just changed the passcode on the Spotify account”.

The defence lawyer argued she wasn’t able to stop the access without getting access to the iPad and had in fact gone to the caravan park to visit her friend but decided to visit the victim “after a few too many drinks”.

The court heard Walsh had no prior criminal history, but was convicted of high range drink driving after pleading guilty to the charge dated the night of the caravan crime.

Alex Dryer is pictured leaving Downing Centre District Court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Seb Haggett

Walsh was just 18 years old when she started dating her then-47-year-old partner in 2016 and their relationship was “marred by domestic violence,” the court was told.

Walsh had switched between several jobs in retail and factories while Dryer worked in coal mining.

Dryer was convicted of reckless wounding in company.

He was sentenced to 22 months jail to be served in the community by way of an intensive corrections order.

The sentence was a 25 per cent discount due to an early guilty plea.

Judge Neilson took into account the fact Dryer was serving a six-month community corrections order, or good behaviour bond, at the time of the crime.

Walsh was convicted of reckless wounding in company and destroy or damage property worth less than $2000 and was sentenced to 1 year and 11 months punishment to be served in the community by way of an intensive corrections order.

Walsh’s punishment was discounted by 10 per cent as she pleaded guilty to the reckless damage to property charge on the first arraignment.

Judge Neilson said he believed the pair did not pose a further threat to the community, had good character references and “sending a 24-year-old woman to jail should be avoided if it can be”.

Walsh and Dryer initially entered not-guilty pleas and a trial date was set, but a plea deal was made and the matters proceeded to sentence.