NEWS
Nightclub punch-on in drunk rage By Cam Lucadou-Wells A Narre Warren man has been convicted and ordered to do community work after punching a nightclub patron five times in the face while in a drunken rage. Kurt Hoareau, 23, struck the victim at Empire nightclub in Narre Warren in the early hours of 12 November after telling the victim to “f*** off” as the victim filmed next to him. The victim says he told Hoareau to “suck my d***”, police prosecutor Senior Constable Jaimie Jeffs told Dandenong Magistrates Court on 30 October. The victim said he was then punched five times “really hard” in a flurry of uppercuts and lefts and rights. He suffered a deep laceration to his right eye, a chipped tooth and a cut to his chin. Hoareau, charged with recklessly causing injury, later told police he had been so drunk he couldn’t recall the incident. He first “knew” when friends told him about the fight the next day. A defence lawyer told the court that Hoareau felt “genuine remorse” and expressed embarrassment and shame about his “out-ofcharacter” act. The “once-off” incident was “best described as a moment of madness”, the lawyer said.
“This will never occur again,” the lawyer said. Hoareau, who had no criminal priors, completed an anger-management course after the assault. He no longer goes to nightclubs, and cut his drinking to no more than two beers, the lawyer said. Magistrate Pauline Spencer said she contemplated jailing Hoareau but for his age, remorse, early guilty plea and frank admissions. The victim would have been psychologically as well as physically scarred by the bashing, Ms Spencer said. “These type of assaults where young men are drinking to excess and are then getting into ... physical altercations are a real plague in our community. “We all know those stories. You’re lucky that having punched this person five times to the face that it’s not more serious. “We have to be clear to young men that this behaviour is not acceptable.” Ms Spencer said Hoareau seemed to be “waking up” after going out too much and being immature. “This thing has been a learning experience for you.” Hoareau was ordered to do 200 hours of voluntary work as part of a 12-month community order.
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Midnight assault probed By Brendan Rees Casey Crime Investigation Unit is appealing for witnesses following an assault outside the Empire Nightclub in Narre Warren during the early hours of Sunday 29 October. About 12.30am, police say there was an argument over a seating booth involving two groups which turned into a “push and shove.” Detective Senior Constable Peter Warden said after the parties had been ejected by security the alleged scuffle continued on the street. He said two parties between 10 and 12 people have been allegedly involved in an assault about 50 metres from the nightclub near Lauderdale Road. “The push and shove was dealt with pretty
quickly. Both parties have been kicked out, and it was down on the road away from security cameras where the next part of all these injuries has happened,” Det Sen Const Warden said. He said a female and male were treated at hospital, adding “there was quite severe swelling and bruising to the face region and the others (involved) were just some minor injuries.” Police are making inquiries with the alleged offenders. “Obviously, when they entered the venue, they have a scanner licence so centre management they’ve given us the names of those people,” Det Sen Const Warden said. “So it’s a call for independent witnesses as to what’s happened.”
At 153km/h, it’s a laugh By Cam Lucadou-Wells A Hampton Park man laughed in court as he faced off with a magistrate over speeding at 153km/h on the Monash Freeway. Sahana Dananjaya Sandaradura was told by judge Pauline Spencer at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court that he was a “really bad driver”. He had been snapped at 53km/h over the limit by a freeway speed camera at Glen Iris about 3.38am on 23 April. He chuckled, and Ms Spencer retorted: “Well you are! “This is your third drive-suspended charge. “You’re not only driving when you shouldn’t be driving but you’re speeding at an incredibly fast rate.” Sandaradura replied that “no-one was in danger” at the time. “There was no-one in front of me, no-one behind me.”
Ms Spencer pointed out that police officers and other first-responders were often called out to young men in single-vehicle crashes. “You don’t think this is unsafe. Are you absolutely insane?” Sandaradura said he had been unaware he faced possible jail for his multiple suspended driving charge. “It’s a hard lesson that I’ve learnt now,” he said. Ms Spencer replied: “You didn’t learn it last time (you were in court)?” “This was the last straw,” Sandaradura said. As his final argument, Sandaradura offered to sell his car and to take public transport. Ms Spencer sentenced him to 100 hours of community work as well as 15 months off the road. “Nothing will keep you out of jail next time.”
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Thursday, 2 November, 2017
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STAR NEWS 7