Aaron English grabbed arm of mother and told family to ‘speak Australian’

A father of four who demanded a family “speak Australian” before grabbing the arm of a young mother has been convicted of intimidation.

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A father of four who demanded a family “speak Australian” while they were eating at a fast food outlet has been convicted of intimidation.

Aaron English, of Narellan Vale, handed himself into police after a public appeal for information into the incident at Hungry Jacks at Narellan on October 5 last year.

The 46-year-old, who pleaded guilty at Picton Local Court yesterday, heard the couple speaking in a foreign language as they were eating a meal with their seven month old baby, and in a raised voice he told them: “speak Australian, no answer.”

Aaron English was pleaded guilty to intimidation.

Police facts tended to the court showed the outburst escalated when English approached the table and said “do you understand?”.

The couple replied they were teaching their baby the language, and English responded: “Well I find it offensive, speak Australian.”

After the couple told English they were having a private conversation, he responded “f***ing b******t” and grabbed the upper left arm of the young woman for five seconds before her partner told him to let go.

The woman later told police she feared for the safety of her baby after English had grabbed her.

Magistrate Ian Cheetham sentenced English to a conditional release order for 14 months.

“A healthy society is a tolerant one, you need to learn that,” Mr Cheetham said.

English has since completed an education course and character references stated his behaviour was out of the ordinary and that he was “not a racist”.