Trio sentenced for assaulting man with a taser

A druggie trio have learnt their fate for torturing a man with a taser in a horrific attack, before posting the video on social media.

A trio have learnt their fate for torturing a man with a taser in a horrific attack, with only one escaping jail.

Justin Kym Dempsey, 45, of Kilburn, Jake Anthony Brown, 35, of Port Noarlunga South, and a third suppressed man, 33, bashed the terrified victim before posting the video on social media.

During sentencing on Monday, the District Court heard the victim would regularly use methamphetamine with the suppressed man who he met in prison.

The suppressed man invited the victim to his Seaford house on July 15, 2021 by sending him a photograph of Dempsey holding what appeared to be methamphetamine.

Upon his arrival, he was led to a shed by the trio where the suppressed man accused him of taking a pouch of tobacco from him.

Justin Dempsey was jailed for assault causing harm. Photo: Facebook

Justin Dempsey posted a video to social media of the taser. Photo: Facebook

The court heard Dempsey then punched the victim to the face, causing him to go to the ground before stomping on his head a number of times.

“In the recording that was taken of some of these events and which was incomprehensibly later posted to Facebook the terror that (the victim) experienced … is vividly exposed,” Judge Kris Handshin said.

“He can be seen cowering in a corner of the shed as you (suppressed man) give him a dressing down while the red dot of the taser is seen to be moving over his body before it is discharged and strikes him.”

The court heard the victim was stomped on again by Dempsey and the suppressed man, before Brown struck his foot with a gas bottle.

The attack then came to an abrupt end, with Dempsey telling the victim he could do a job to pay back the money he owed.

The victim was taken to hospital, suffering swelling to his right foot, a cut to his head, redness and bruising and chips to his teeth, one of which ended up snapping off.

The trio pleaded guilty to assault causing harm.

They were originally charged with false imprisonment but the charge wasn’t proceeded with.

The court heard the suppressed man had his methamphetamine use spiral out of control after a falling out with his business partner.

“It seems reasonably clear that your abuse of drugs and other substances has played a large part in your recurring conflict with the law,” Judge Handshin said.

The court heard Dempsey, who suffers from a brain injury, had been heavily abusing meth and fantasy in the lead up to the offending and had very little memory of the events.

Justin Dempsey also posted videos of him smoking meth on social media. Photo: Facebook

He was jailed for over four years on Monday. Photo: Facebook

The court heard Brown, who was also on a meth bender at the time, had turned his life around since being released on bail and made substantial progress in rehabilitation.

Judge Handshin said the trio’s conduct was “callous, calculated and entirely unjustified”.

“Whatever (the victim) had done or was thought to have done could never justify, let alone excuse the cruel violence that you all inflicted on him that morning,” he said.

Adding on a previous sentence, Judge Handshin sentenced the suppressed man to seven years and 11 months jail, with a non-parole period of five years.

The sentence was backdated to February 9, 2022.

Dempsey was sentenced to four years and three months jail, with a non-parole period of three years and two months, backdated to August 27, 2021.

Brown was sentenced to four years jail, with a non-parole period of two years and three months.

However due to his rehabilitation efforts, with “a lot of hesitation” Judge Handshin ordered Brown serve the sentence on home detention.

Originally published as Trio sentenced for assaulting man with a taser