Bendigo crime: Philip Kirby drank two goon bags before Kerang assaults
A 55-year-old Kerang man spat in a woman’s face, punched her and then turned on her friend with a steak knife, a court has heard.
Bendigo
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bendigo. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man spat in the face of one woman and held a steak knife to the torso of her friend in a brutal drunken assault in Kerang.
On Wednesday, Philip Kirby pleaded guilty at the Bendigo Magistrate’s Court to assaulting two women in an intoxicated rage on February 10, 2020.
Kirby’s lawyer said the 55-year-old started drinking at 10am that day and by 5.30pm had polished off two 5L casks of wine and smoked 2g of cannabis.
The court heard the man was at a Kerang house with two women when he argued with the pair.
Kirby then spat in the face and struck one of the women, causing her to fall to the ground.
He then turned on the second woman, grabbing her and holding a steak knife to her torso, which left a small cut.
As she tried to get the knife away from the drunk man the woman received a cut to her hands.
When police arrived at the Kerang property Kirby was still holding one woman by her hair while the other one was lying on the ground in a bush.
When police arrested Kirby they found three more steak knives on him.
The court heard this was not the only time booze has landed Kirby in trouble.
Kirby smashed two windows at his Swan Hill house after a drunken fight with the residents on June 5, 2020
Later that month, on June 28, Kirby phoned 000 following a fight with his Swan Hill neighbours.
Police arrived to find Kirby drunk, pointing, swearing and yelling at people standing nearby.
He was arrested for being drunk in a public place, and a search found 2.5g of cannabis on him.
“I got drunk and it all built up in me,” Kirby told officers.
His lawyer said Kirby was an Indigenous man who had a “rough” upbringing after his mother died when he was eight years old.
He said Kirby described himself as an alcoholic, drinking two 5L casks of wine and smoking 2 to 3g of cannabis per day.
Kirby pleaded guilty to the weapons, drug, damage and assault charges.
Magistrate Rodney Higgins fined him $430 for the damage and sentenced him to 42 days in prison, which Kirby had already served in pre-sentence detention.
‘White Australia’ fundraiser raises $27k in just eight days
A crowd-funding page created by a controversial neo-Nazi figure has raised more than $27,000 to help “create a home for white people in Australia”.
Pictures: Victorian preppies start their first day of school
About 70,000 Victorian grade prep students have started their first year of school this week. Check back to see all the photos from primary schools across the state.