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CHRISTMAS FIRE A STAR IS BORN Family touched by help
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PAGE 3 Wednesday, 11 January 2017
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Hard knock a life-saver A KNOCK to the head on a netball court could have saved Ciara Nelson’s life. A scan revealed a tumour in her brain stem, which otherwise may not have been detected. The talented Beaconsfield netballer counts herself lucky, but is not out of the woods yet and the community is rallying to assist her getting the medical help she needs, Turn to page 12 to discover Ciara’s story and find out how you can help.
Talented netballer Ciara Nelson with mother Colleen in their Pakenham home. 163643 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Wife, son bashed By Cam Lucadou-Wells A MAGISTRATE has admonished a Pakenham man accused of repeatedly bashing his then-pregnant partner and assaulting their eight-weekold son. Dandenong Magistrates’ Court judge Pauline Spencer heard that police had investigated after being alerted to the baby’s suspicious injuries, including a blood nose and a broken arm, in June last year. On one occasion, the man allegedly called his new-born son a “c***” and a “b******” as the baby persistently cried at home. He then deliberately dropped him about 30 centimetres onto a bed, the court heard on 9 January. At another time, the man had
been left alone with the baby in the lounge room. The mother returned when she heard the baby screaming, and discovered her son’s blood nose. The court was told the man had allegedly shoved and punched his former partner in the head, chest, back and ribs persistently since 2013. Last year, she told him she feared for the safety of her second child in utero, given their first child was stillborn. He allegedly kept punching her up until the second child’s birth, the court heard. Charges weren’t laid for about 20 alleged bashings denied by the man and unseen by independent witnesses.
After a sentence indication by Ms Spencer, the man pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury to his partner and single counts of assault against the partner and the baby. The man, who claimed to be grief-stuck over the still-birth of his first child, disputed assaulting the partner and son, the lawyer said. The accused was put on a 12-month community corrections order with conviction and 150 hours of unpaid work, as well as family violence and post-violent parenting programs. “Where you need to focus is it’s OK to feel upset, angry or frustrated but it’s then not OK to act with violence,” Ms Spencer told him. “If you want to have another relationship in the future, that means
you’re going to have to do some hard work. “What I have to be clear in is to say violence is not acceptable. “If you perform this sort of violence in the future, we’ll put you in jail. We have absolutely no problem doing that.” On the same day, a 38-year-old Pakenham man was refused bail for allegedly assaulting his partner about 30 minutes after he was served with an interim intervention order in Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 12 December. The man allegedly screamed and struck the partner in a Magna with Tasmanian number plates on Princes Highway, Eumemmerring. He then allegedly threw the partner’s belongings onto the highway.
Under the intervention order, he was banned from contacting her or being within 50 metres of her. The man has denied the incident and the victim refused to make a statement to police, but the incident was allegedly reported by an independent witness who made a triplezero call. Further alleged severe bashings, a strangulation, a beating with a broomstick and threats to slit the partner’s throat were being investigated by police. Police told the court the man used cannabis and ice, had recently tried to buy a .45-calibre handgun on Facebook, and that a recentlysharpened samurai sword had been found in his bedroom. Ms Spencer said the risk was too high to allow the man out on bail.
Granmother inspires Lorne victory PAGE 8