Huon Neil Brown jailed for attack on Diggers Rest woman
A woman who was beaten with a lamp at her Diggers Rest home because she didn’t pick a man up when his car broke down has told a court she lived out of her car for weeks after the attack because she was “too scared to go home”.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man who beat a woman with a lamp and smashed up her Diggers Rest home because she didn’t pick him up when his car broke down has been jailed for two years.
Huon Neil Brown, 33, told police he was “angry, emotional and heartbroken” and wanted to smash her things as he was upset that the 24-year-old didn’t help him on Bell St.
County Court documents show Brown had invited himself and two mates inside the Diggers Rest property earlier that night and had started cooking dinner when she arrived home at 7.30pm on January 23 this year.
MORE: COUNCIL’S DOG POO DNA TEST IDEA BINNED
MOORABBIN MUM STEALS $1M TO FUND LAVISH LIFESTYLE
The pair got into an argument and the three uninvited guests left about 9pm — but the friends got out on Bell St because they felt uncomfortable driving with the “agitated” and booze-fuelled Brown.
The woman gave them a lift from Bell St to Prahran and while in the car Brown called asking for help because his car had broken down.
“He was very aggressive and (she) said that she would not help him until he calmed down,” court documents said.
“Brown threatened, over the phone and by text message, to go to her house and smash everything.”
When the woman arrived home just before midnight she found the front and back doors open and her laptop, pot plants, glass antiques, lamps and speakers smashed and knocked over.
A window was also smashed.
She rang police and locked both doors but Brown appeared at the front sliding door yelling and banging on the window so she “reluctantly” let him inside because she thought he was going to break it.
She tried to call police again but Brown became aggressive, grabbed the phone and smashed it on the floor.
MORE NORTHERN CRIME:
SUSPENDED DRIVER’S RIDICULOUS EXCUSE TO GET LICENCE BACK
POLICE CATCH BOOZY LASER POINTER STUNT ON CAMERA
‘ANGRY’ SPITTING TEEN BAILED TO TAKE SUPPORT PROGRAM
TAX AGENT’S CUNNING PLAN TO CON BUNNINGS
“He offered her his phone but when she took it, he grabbed it back and smashed it on the ground also,” court documents said.
Brown then grabbed a lamp and hit the woman in the chest, knocking her to the ground.
He kicked a bar stool into her leg and slapped her in the face.
To get Brown out of the house she offered him a lift to his car on Bell St, but shortly after they got in the car Brown started punching the windscreen and passenger window, shattering both and spraying glass throughout the car.
Police arrived and arrested Brown, with an ambulance taking him to Sunshine Hospital to treat the cuts to his arm before he was interviewed at Broadmeadows police station.
Court documents show the woman suffered bruising and tenderness to her forehead, chest, lower back, left leg and arms, as well as scratches on her arms.
In a victim impact statement tendered in court she said she had become socially withdrawn and had developed “pretty severe trust issues” since the attack.
“For the first few weeks (I was) living out of my car and staying at friends’ houses, too scared to go home but also too scared to stay in one place too long,” she said.
Brown pleaded guilty to burglary, intentionally destroying property, aggravated burglary and recklessly causing injury.
Judge Michael Bourke sentenced him to three years and nine months jail in the County Court on September 26.
He will be eligible for parole in two years.
Brown was also ordered to pay almost $8000 compensation for damaged property.