Shepparton: Arthur Rule jailed after bashing St James neighbour

A former panel beater bashed a retired woman so badly her spleen had to be removed over a “despicable” neighbourhood dispute northeast of Shepparton.

A former St James panel beater bashed his neighbour, a retired woman, so badly she was flown to hospital where her spleen had to be removed, a court has heard.

Arthur Rule, 50, was sentenced to a maximum nine years jail — having already served 280 days pre-sentence detention before being released on bail — on charges including damaging property, home invasion and recklessly causing injury in the Shepparton County Court on Wednesday.

Court documents reveal Rule and his son, who had his case adjourned for further plea in December, broke into their victim’s St James home, about 50km northeast of Shepparton, in July 2019 after smashing a glass door.

The dad and son had several disputes with their neighbour, which were not detailed to the court, before they arrived at her house armed with a baseball bat and a metre-long piece of pipe.

One of the men hit her in the back causing her to fall to the ground before they kicked and hit her while she was on the ground.

Rule demanded the woman “get out, get out of town and don’t go to the cops” before he kicked her again.

She managed to crawl over broken glass out to her car where Rule handed his victim the keys but refused to allow the woman to take her dogs with her.

After managing to pull herself into the driver’s seat and as she was reversing Rule hit the windscreen with a baseball bat.

His son hit the bonnet of the car.

The victim drove to a friend’s house before she was eventually flown to Melbourne.

She spent 14 days in the Royal Melbourne Hospital where her stay included three surgeries in the space of four days.

Her injuries included hand, leg, rib and spinal fractures.

Doctors were forced to remove her spleen in one of the procedures.

When Rule was arrested and interviewed by police, he said he couldn’t recall the incident because he had been drinking.

At the woman’s home, police located a brick underneath the kitchen table with pieces of glass and plaster scattered throughout the house.

Judge John Smallwood described the offending as “despicable”.

“A normal member of the community would find this just shocking,” he said.

In sentencing Rule he said he had taken into account the former panel beater's lower IQ.

Rule must undergo a non-parole period of six years.