Jamie Dennis Jackson sentenced in Roma Magistrates Court for wielding axe in street fight

As one man underwent surgery for injuries sustained in a fight, another man was sentenced for his involvement in the same brawl.

Jamie Dennis Jackson was sentenced in the Roma Magistrates court for going armed to cause fear and affray.

Three days after a violent brawl in Roma, a 19-year-old man was sentenced for his involvement in the incident, with a court told he was armed with an axe during the fight.

Roma Magistrates Court was told Jamie Dennis Jackson was charged with affray and going armed to cause fear, after he brought an axe to a brawl on Foott St in Roma on August 30.

At the same time that Jackson appeared by videolink to plead guilty to his charges, on September 3, another man was undergoing surgery for injuries sustained in the same fight, although not as a result of Jackson.

While Jackson was located less than 200m away in the Roma watch-house, police prosecutor Ellysha Geddes told the court he would have to appear by videolink, as police resources were occupied standing guard in the operating theatre.

Sergeant Geddes told the court Jackson and two others, one of whom was a juvenile, attended an address on Foott St armed with an axe, machete and shovel, with the intention of engaging in a fight.

She said these kinds of fights were becoming more common in Roma, and the prevalence of weapons was increasing.

Jackson currently has another charge of affray before the court which has not yet been finalised.

Jackson’s legal representative, Calum Wood of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, told the court the 19-year-old had been exposed to domestic violence as a child, and struggled to regulate his responses in conflict.

Mr Wood said Jackson planned to move away from Roma with his partner in an effort to “dissociate from the ecosystem in which he is involved”.

Magistrate Michael Wood conceded Jackson had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity, but expressed concern over the behaviour.

“You and the other co-offenders decided to arm (yourselves) and engage in what has been described as ‘vigilante behaviour’ in order to seek some kind of retribution on behalf of your brother,” Mr Wood said.

Mr Wood said the violence was witnessed by innocent bystanders, and at least one person was hospitalised as a result.

“It is not suggested that you inflicted those injuries,” he said.

“Unfortunately the type of behaviour that is described before me today is increasing in prevalence in the Roma community.

“I have unfortunately seen a number of these types of offences

“It is escalating in that the taking of weapons such as an axe to this type of behaviour can of course lead to much more significant injuries and much more serious crimes as a result of any injuries received by others.”

Mr Wood said he would take into consideration the three days Jackson had spent in pre-sentence custody in the Roma watch-house, but that time would not be declared.

Jackson was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, suspended for six months, and 12 months probation.

Originally published as Jamie Dennis Jackson sentenced in Roma Magistrates Court for wielding axe in street fight