Lhere Artepe chair Benedict Stevens pleads guilty to domestic violence
Court documents have revealed the man’s partner required hospitalisation for a ‘large laceration’ which was inflicted from a stick about 60cm in length. Find out more.
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The chair of one of the top Aboriginal organisations in the Red Centre, Lhere Artepe, says he’s a changed man since he pleaded guilty to bashing his partner with a stick.
Lhere Artepe chair Benedict Stevens has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, but has avoided significant jail time thanks to a suspended sentence.
Stevens was arrested on April 19 in Sadadeen, Alice Springs.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 13 in the Alice Springs Local Court, where he was given a six month suspended sentence by Judge David Bamber.
Court documents state Stevens was drinking with his partner – who’d he been with for around 11 years – when he struck her with a wooden stick which was “60cm in length”.
“As a result of the assault the victim suffered a large laceration about 6cm in length and about 5cm wide,” the court documents state.
Stevens’ partner was hospitalised as a result of the assault, and Stevens was issued a domestic violence order by police.
Speaking with the national masthead, Stevens said he’d changed since his arrest.
He said he’d learned he “shouldn’t be setting a bad example to the rest of the town” and instead realised he “should be leading the way, showing respect to women”.
On Friday, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro met with several members of Lhere Artepe while in Alice Springs, one of them being Stevens.
“The meeting, led by Kirsty Bloomfield, was a proactive meeting where Lhere Artepe shared some solutions that could provide practical outcomes for the people of Alice Springs,” she said.
Questions sent to Lhere Artepe asking if Stevens will keep his position, if the Lhere Artepe board stands behind Stevens, or if he informed them of what happened were not responded to by deadline.
Stevens was contacted for further comment.
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