Unless you are a woman who might be inconvenienced by having to serve a jail sentence. Or at least, that is the impression given by a recent decision in a Victorian court.
State law requires a mandatory minimum jail term of six months for assaulting an emergency service worker. This didn’t bother Judge Barbara Cotterell. Two days ago Judge Cotterell released two ghastly women who bashed an ambulance officer/paramedic to the point where he had to undergo three separate operations and has not been able to work since. Judge Cotterell said the women had had a hard time, were trying their best, and she couldn’t see what point would be served by sending them to jail.
I am not the only one who thinks this is disgusting.
Community outrage is growing over the decision by County Court judge Barbara Cotterell to uphold an appeal by the women, previously jailed by a magistrate for eight months and four months, with the paramedic injured by the women saying he felt “that justice hasn’t been done”.
On Tuesday, paramedic Paul Judd, who suffered injuries needing three operations and still can’t work after he was bashed by the two drunken women in Reservoir in 2016, said he was appalled that his attackers had “gotten away” with their crime.