Jarrod Victor Stevens, of Violet Town, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to unlawful assault, resisting a police officer, refusing to undergo a breath test and two counts of unlicensed driving.
Prosecutor Vincent Farrugia told the court Stevens, who was 36 at the time, punched his neighbour in the head several times on their shared driveway on High St, Violet Town, on February 18, 2023.
The court heard Stevens assaulted his neighbour after hearing an accusation about him, which turned out to be false.
Dr Farrugia said Stevens’ neighbour got a personal safety intervention order against him after the “frightening and distressing” experience.
A police prosecutor told the court Stevens tried to get his Mitsubishi out of a ditch on Balmattum Rd, Balmattum, while intoxicated and unlicensed at 2am on September 15, 2023.
Stevens was slumped over the steering wheel and his car smelt of alcohol when police attended the scene at 3.03am.
The court heard Stevens was “belligerent” and unco-operative with police, asking them to taser him and refusing to complete a breath test and get into the police car.
Police sprayed and arrested Stevens.
The police prosecutor told the court police also caught Stevens driving a red Holden Rodeo ute unlicensed on the Midland Hwy, Benalla, on May 31.
Stevens’ defence barrister, Stephanie Gillahan, said her client had “reacted inappropriately”, and the assault was a result of him finding out incorrect information about his neighbour.
She said Stevens immediately admitted to police he assaulted his neighbour, who had no serious injuries, and there had been no other interactions between them.
Ms Gillahan told the court Stevens was struggling with his mental health at the time he resisted police, as it was just after his dad, whom he had a difficult relationship with, had passed away.
Ms Gillahan said Stevens’ childhood had left him “vulnerable to substance abuse”, as it was normalised for him from a very young age.
She said he hadn’t used drugs in a long time and had reduced his alcohol use after finally understanding the link between his drinking and offending.
He now only has beers and “won’t touch spirits”, Ms Gillahan said.
Regarding the assault, magistrate Olivia Trumble acknowledged Stevens had acted within a particular context and was given the wrong information.
However, she told him it was “never a good idea to take the law into your own hands and administer your own form of justice”.
Ms Trumble said the driving charges were “extremely concerning”, due to Stevens’ long history of similar charges, and he needed to be “held accountable for something he continues to do”.
She encouraged Stevens to get help to give up alcohol completely because it was clear he used it to “numb pain”, and when he drank he was “volatile”.
“You need to learn to be able to cope with curveballs that come at you within your life,” she said.
Stevens was fined $3000 and disqualified from getting a licence for four years.
Ms Trumble told Stevens if he came before the court again with another driving matter, he was at “serious risk” of going to prison.
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