Rodney Bamblett jailed at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court for vicious baseball bat assault on woman near Echuca

A methed-up Echuca man hit a woman with a baseball bat before telling her to “bow down to him”, forcing her on to her knees on broken glass as she bled.

Rodney Bamblett . Picture: Istock

A methed-up Echuca man hit a woman with a baseball bat before telling her to “bow down to him”, forcing her onto her knees on broken glass.

Rodney Stuart Bamblett also known as Rodney Morgan, 33, pleaded guilty at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to common law assault against a woman.

On March 4, 2020 Bamblett was at a house in the Campaspe area near Echuca with the victim when she received a Snapchat message from a man.

Bamblett said to her “what, are you talking to that rat dog?”.

When she replied that she could talk to whoever she wants he got up suddenly and punched her twice in the face.

The victim tried to get away but Bamblett pushed her down onto a bed.

Bamblett’s attack left the woman bleeding.

Bamblett then got up and grabbed a baseball bat and swung it at her in a “threatening fashion”.

The victim tried to find something to defend herself, but was helpless.

Bamblett then forced the victim to pick up a glass bottle of alcohol and smashed her in the wrist, breaking the bottle and causing a laceration to her arm which started bleeding.

Bamblett then told her to “bow down to him”. Terrified, the victim knelt, cutting her knees on the glass on the floor.

He then told her to clean up and get in his car. She pretended to go along with him before fleeing the house and flagging down a passing car.

Bamblett was convicted of assault.

The victim was hospitalised and was left with scars on her arm where she was cut by glass.

Bamblett was arrested on March 9 by Echuca police.

When sentencing Bamblett, Magistrate Sharon McRae said the offender had no ability to control his anger or temper, made worse by his use of drugs at the time of the offending.

Ms McRae condemned Bamblett for forcing the complainant to “bow down” after assaulting them with a weapon.

“The humiliation and degradation and the way you treated the complainant … it’s very nasty,” she said.

Bamblett faced up to five years in prison for his horrific assault.

The court heard Bamblett was already serving a 14-year jail sentence for an unrelated criminal matter and has been behind bars since his arrest on March 9, 2020.

Ms McRea convicted and sentenced Bamblett to nine months in prison to run concurrently with his 14-year jail sentence.