Alice Springs ‘vigilante’ couple Nicole Jettner and Russell McDonough sentenced over ‘misguided’ attack on teens

THE ‘vigilante’ owners of a scrap yard wept as they were each handed jail sentences in the Supreme Court following a ‘misguided’ attempt to take the law into their own hands in 2017

Russell McDonough, 60, and Nicole Jettner, 44, have been sentenced over a misguided, ‘vigilante’ style attack on two teenagers. Picture: Supplied/Facebook

THE “vigilante” owners of an Alice Springs scrap yard wept as they were each handed jail sentences in the Supreme Court on Monday following a misguided attempt to take the law into their own hands in 2017.

Nicole Jettner, 44, will not see the inside of a jail cell for her lesser role in the pursuit of two 16-year-old boys with her partner after Justice Graham Hiley sentenced her to two-and-a-half years jail, fully suspended.

Russell McDonough, 60, was sentenced to three years jail, suspended after three months served.

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Both were found guilty of negligently causing serious harm to then-16-year-old Edward Gibson, one of two teenage boys they wrongly thought were trespassing on their metal recycling business on the outskirts of town.

McDonough was also found guilty of aggravated assault after repeatedly punching a defenceless Mr Gibson in the head.

Mr Gibson and his mate, Sam Prettejohn, were driving out to some caves south of Alice Springs on January 25, 2017, near Jettner and McDonough’s scrapyard, when the boys’ car got bogged and a nearby security guard raised the alarm with the couple.

McDonough brandished a baseball bat as Jettner, driving, pursued the boys.

Jettner, following McDonough’s instructions, at one stage pulled alongside the boys on the Stuart Hwy and inched towards them threateningly.

Jettner later drove ahead of the boys and stopped the car in the middle of the highway, causing Mr Gibson to crash.

McDonough threw the bat at the boys’ car as it approached and then repeatedly punched Mr Gibson, who had a badly broken arm.

Crown Prosecutor Stephen Robson described Jettner and McDonough’s conduct as “misguided and unlawful vigilante behaviour”.

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Justice Graham Hiley agreed said would-be vigilantes needed to know they would be punished severely for taking the law into their own hands.

He said many of the people who had vouched for Jettner and McDonough were “uneducated” about the couple’s crimes.

He said Jettner, a churchgoing former court staffer and McDonough, a hardworking businessman, were well regarded in town.

McDonough is due to be released in July.

Justice Hiley determined not to disqualify Jettner’s driver’s licence.