State to appeal sentence of ex-SAS soldier Shane Gibbs, who was convicted of choking his wife

The State government is to appeal a controversial sentence handed down to an ex-SAS soldier who choked his wife during a brutal attack in which he told her, "you're dead".

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THE state government will appeal the decision by a court to grant parole to an ex-SAS soldier who choked his wife.

Former elite soldier Shane Gibbs was found guilty in June of choking his wife twice on the Gold Coast in August 2018.

The jury found him guilty but the 50-year-old escaped spending any time in prison due to Gibbs’ PTSD, his service to the country, his health problems from being shot while serving in Afghanistan and concerns he would be a target in prison.

Triple-0 audio coverage captured Gibbs telling his wife during the attack: “You’re dead.”

Judge Geraldine Dann sentenced him to three years’ prison with immediate parole. He also had to pay the woman $5000.

'DODGED A BULLET': DV LEADERS STUNNED BY EX-SAS SOLDIER'S SENTENCE

Bodyworn camera footage taken minutes after former SAS soldier Shane Gibbs choked his wife.

The decision to let Gibbs walk from court left parts of the Gold Coast community and domestic violence advocates outraged.

One reader said on Facebook: “I don’t care what she did, nothing excuses that.”

Another said: “He needs to be punished. I have no respect for him … What about her PTSD?”

Domestic violence advocates were also calling the courts to consider the woman’s trauma.

A spokesman for Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman told the Bulletin an appeal had been filed against the sentence.

After the Bulletin revealed the shocking details of the case Ms Fentiman had ordered an urgent review of the case.

The decision to appeal the sentence was confirmed by her office last week.

In the woman’s Triple-0 phone call, she can be heard screaming, begging him to stop and apologising.

“You’re dead,” he replied.

The appeal is expected to be heard in the coming months.

‘He needs to be punished’: Uproar over sentence of ex-SAS soldier

JULY 1

THE Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has been ordered to conduct an urgent review into whether it should appeal the decision by a court to release an ex-SAS soldier who choked his wife.

The Bulletin on Saturday revealed former elite soldier Shane Gibbs escaped prison time despite being convicted of choking his wife twice in August 2018.

Triple-0 audio coverage captured Gibbs telling his wife during the attack: “You’re dead.”

Judge Geraldine Dann sentenced him to three years’ prison with immediate parole. He also had to pay the woman $5000.

The reasons given for immediate parole included Gibbs’ PTSD, his service to the country, his health problems from being shot while serving in Afghanistan and concerns he would be a target in prison.

Bodyworn camera footage taken minutes after former SAS soldier Shane Gibbs choked his wife.

Domestic violence campaigners are furious with the decision, saying the scourge will continue to deepen unless society stops making excuses for attacks such as choking.

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman on Monday sought “urgent advice” from the DPP about appealing the case.

“The Palaszczuk government is committed to ensuring that all Queenslanders know, understand and expect that violence will not be tolerated, and cannot be excused,” she said.

“We are taking action to end domestic and family violence by investing in programs and initiatives that keep women and children safe, as well as delivering a clear and targeted communications campaign to the community.”

Gibbs’ sentence sparked conversation among Bulletin readers.

One reader said on Facebook: “I don’t care what she did, nothing excuses that.”

Another said: “He needs to be punished. I have no respect for him … What about her PTSD?”

Bodyworn camera footage taken minutes after former SAS soldier Shane Gibbs choked his wife.

A poll on the Gold Coast Bulletin website showed that 71 per cent of people believed domestic violence needed to be tackled through a combination of tougher sentences, zero tolerance in society, education, more government funding and better policing.

Fifteen per cent said tougher sentencing was the answer.

However, parts of the community tried to blame women for the assaults.

“It always takes two to tango,” one person wrote on the Bulletin’s Facebook page.

Another user said: “What’s the back story, what happened 15 minutes earlier with what made him act that way?”

The same person also said: “Let’s all ignore the fact that what actually triggers domestic violence is the false allegations that aren’t properly investigated by police.”

Their comments are despite the 2016 Australia Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey finding about one in six women had experienced physical violence by a partner compared to one in 17 men.

Of the 2603 orders applied for in the Southport Magistrates Court in 2019-2020 only 466 of those were dismissed.

Ms Fentiman said: “Ending violence against women is a whole-of-community issue which must be tackled on all fronts.”

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