Timothy Willett: Jamisontown man pleads guilty to reckless wounding, vows to change

A young father with a violent criminal history from Sydney’s west has appeared in court to be sentenced for stabbing a person three times. Find out why he has told a court he was dedicated to becoming a better man.

Timothy Willett stands outside Penrith Local court

A young father who stabbed a man three times has told a court he was dedicated to becoming a better man.

Timothy Willett, 29, of Jamisontown, appeared at Penrith District Court for a sentence hearing on Monday after previously pleading guilty to reckless wounding.

The court heard since the attack Willett had spent six months in a residential rehabilitation centre recovering from drug addiction, which involved him using both heroin and ice.

During cross examination the prosecutor outlined Willett’s criminal record dating back to 2013, which included charges of riot, assaulting police, affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, the latter of which saw him sentenced to prison.

Timothy Willett stands outside Penrith Local Court

“You don’t have a criminal record to be proud of,” the prosecutor said

In response, Willett did not hold back in expressing remorse and his desire to better himself by attending church, bonding with his young son, and rebuilding the relationship with his mother who was present in court.

“Everybody at rehab around me wanted to change, we talk and reflect about fatherhood and manhood it wasn’t like jail,” Willett said.

Willett was adamant he was, and planned to remain, clean from drug use and had a goal of moving back to Victoria and make his family “whole again”.

“My dream and my desires have nothing to do with drugs, I want to continue on a good path, stick with my job and help my mum and family,” he told the court.

“It’s a simple thing to be drug free that’s how a father should be, or a son should be, even in the community we’ve got to help each other out, we’ve got to be normal, I want to fit in and being on drugs isn’t normal.”

The court heard while Willett’s offending was “not insignificant”, there had been an element of provocation which Judge Sophie Beckett said “diminished” his moral culpability to a degree.

Judge Beckett also accepted earlier drug use in Willett’s life was a “pathway” to the offending.

The matter was adjourned for a sentence assessment report to be completed.

Willett will return to Penrith District Court on March 10 for sentencing.