West Daly council CEO Shaun Hardy quits after failing to overturn domestic violence conviction

WEST Daly Regional Council CEO Shaun Hardy has resigned, more than half a year after being convicted for assault after strangling his partner and telling her ‘I’m not afraid to murder’

West Daly Regional Council CEO Shaun Hardy has resigned from his position

• West Daly CEO and former St Mary’s champion fails in bid to overturn domestic violence conviction

WEST Daly Regional Council chief executive Shaun Hardy has resigned , more than half a year after being convicted of assault for strangling his partner and telling her “I’m not afraid to murder”.

West Daly Mayor John Wilson announced on Friday that council chief executive officer Hardy, who is also a former AFLNT board member, had resigned from his position.

“Council has appointed Steve Horton as the acting chief executive officer while recruitment for a new chief executive officer is undertaken,” he said.

It comes after Hardy last month failed in a bid to overturn an assault conviction after strangling his partner.

The St Mary’s premiership player pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court in December last year to aggravated assault following the incident on September 13 and was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month good behaviour bond.

The court heard the couple were asleep at their home in Stuart Park when Hardy woke and “for unknown reasons became anxious and aggressive”, demanding the woman “tell (him) the answer”.

Hardy then told her “no one will be sleeping tonight” and “I’m not afraid to murder”, took her mobile phone and unplugged the landline so she was unable to call for help.

He then placed both hands around her neck and began to squeeze and said “this will be the end tonight” and then dragged her toward the kitchen saying “one of us has to die and it will be you”.

The woman eventually managed to escape to a neighbour’s house and called the police who arrived and arrested Hardy.

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His lawyer, John Lawrence SC, told the court Hardy was “experiencing mental unwellness”, probably triggered by stress.

Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris pointed out there was no expert evidence to suggest Hardy was mentally ill but Mr Lawrence argued it was apparent from the “disturbing” offending itself that he had “a mental apparition”.

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