Christopher Berry, Kelly Bond, Thuruthiyil Neelanba: What was on in Latrobe Valley Magistrates court this week

From pouring coke on a victim’s bed to claiming speed signage was obscured by clouds, read what was heard in Latrobe Valley court this week.

Latrobe Valley court.

From assaults to claims vegetation was covering a speed sign causing a man to speed, there were colourful cases in the Latrobe Valley court this week.

Take a look at what came across the magistrate’s desk this week.

Christopher Berry

A man has been sentenced to a year and a half in jail after he assaulted a woman so badly they “don’t want to live anymore”.

Christopher Berry faced the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to a string of assault and driving charges.

Berry pleaded guilty to all charges and Magistrate Halse said Berry had displayed “reprehensible violence.

The court heard that on March 3 last year Berry attended a man’s house and started threatening him.

He threatened to “flog” the man until his “knuckles were covered in blood”.

He grabbed his victim by the throat and kneed him in the head. Just a few days later Berry targeted the man again, punching him so hard he fractured his jaw.

The victim required surgery.

In May 2022 Berry was stopped by police while he was driving through Morwell where they discovered he was unlicensed and his car was unregistered.

The court was told Berry continued his violent offending in September 2022 when he tried to force his way inside a woman’s home.

Gaining entry, he poured soft drink all over her bed.

He then called the victim every half an hour and in a last ditch effort to speak to her he sent seven cents to her pay ID.

Berry’s violent offending continued throughout the last few months of 2022 and in January 2023 emergency services were called to the woman’s house to find her lying in bed with bleeding head wounds.

The victim told police it was Berry who had pushed her to the ground.

In a statement to the court the victim said the assaults had caused “immense fear”.

Mr Halse sentenced Berry to 18 months in jail, with 12 months non parole and fined Berry $500 for the driving offence.

Kelly Bond

A console operator who was speeding to her grieving daughter avoided a conviction.

Kelly Bond faced the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after police issued her with a speeding fine in June 2022.

Bond was stopped by police who had observed her driving along Main St South Rd in Drouin at 109km/hr in a 80km/hr zone.

She was issued with a $500 fine and a suspension but requested the matter be heard by a magistrate.

Bond told the court she had only been speeding because she was travelling to see her daughter who was “in distress” as her friend had died two days earlier.

“I just wasn’t concentrating,” she told the court.

Bond submitted that she needed to drive to work.

Mr Halse said he wouldn’t exceed the minimum term of suspension of three months as Bond had no priors.

She was placed on an adjourned undertaking until June and no conviction was recorded.

Thuruthiyil Neelanba

A man who claimed to be a “law abiding citizen” came to court armed with photos in preparation to fight a speeding ticket.

Thuruthiyil Neelanba originally indicated he wanted to plead not guilty to a speeding fine issued to him last year on the grounds he “couldn’t see” the speed sign.

Neelanba was busted driving at 80km/hr in a 60km/hr zone in Yallourn North.

Police issued him with a fine and he was given three demerit points but Neelanba said he wanted to fight the matter in court.

When Mr Halse called on Neelanba to make his case he produced photographs of the speed sign he missed and told the court he couldn’t see it “because of vegetation and it was a cloudy day”.

Mr Halse asked Neelanba if he was claiming the clouds “were so low they covered the speed sign”.

“It is your responsibility to know the speed, you have to keep a watch out for it,” he said.

Mr Halse said Neelanba was welcome to fight the case at a contest mention however he was “unlikely to be successful”.

Instead Neelanba opted to cop the $370 fine without conviction.