A 36-YEAR-OLD man who attacked a woman on three separate occasions has been spared prison.
Mark Edward Gary Richomme admitted three charges of common assault against the woman.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that Richomme had been on remand since 24 October, and Assistant Magistrate Peter Harris said that if he were to send him to prison for the crimes, the sentence would be longer than the time he had so far spent in custody.
Legal adviser Paul Lee, prosecuting, said the first assault happened in July 2021, when the woman fell against a table and sustained a black eye.
During the second assault, in June 2022, Richomme threw a plastic utensil holder at her. The court was shown a brief clip of the incident which she had captured on her mobile phone.
The third attack took place in June, and left the victim with a bump on her forehead and marks on her face.
The court heard that Richomme had previous convictions for affray.
Mr Lee added: ‘These offences took place over a significant period of time, not just one day or one weekend.’
And he said the assaults had caused psychological as well as physical injuries.
‘The victim says it has destroyed her confidence and she finds it difficult to trust people,’ he said.
Advocate Allana Binnie, defending, said Richomme and the victim had been drinking when the offences took place, and argued there was some provocation.
She conceded: ‘My client completely accepts his wrongdoing. He reacted in the wrong way.’
Assistant Magistrate Harris decided that prison would not help, and instead imposed a 12-month probation order. He told Richomme: ‘You would come out without the direction and support that is so clearly needed.’
But he stressed that breaching the order could result in jail and advised him: ‘Do yourself a favour. Abide by the order and keep your head down.’
