A 25-YEAR-OLD man with a history of violence – who hit a woman over the head with a plastic bottle – has been spared prison and community service.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that neither punishment would be suitable for Steve Goncalves, who was instead given a two-year probation order.
Goncalves assaulted the woman with an empty bottle on 2 January this year – a month after attacking another woman, for which he was made the subject of a binding-over order.
The attack in January was classified as grave and criminal assault because he had used a bottle as weapon. It caused pain but did not leave his victim with a lasting injury.
Crown Advocate Lauren Hallam, prosecuting, said Goncalves had a string of previous convictions, dating back to the Youth Court, and was deemed “at very high risk of reconviction”.
However, Advocate Sarah Dale, defending, argued against a prison sentence, saying: “He has received a custodial sentence before. It appears that that period in custody hasn’t helped.”
She added: “Community service isn’t suitable, but what Mr Goncalves has said is that he would like to be given the opportunity of a probation order.”
It was not revealed during the hearing why community service was considered unsuitable.
The Magistrate, Bridget Shaw, told him: “You have a very poor record. Custody is what we would be looking at.”
But she gave him credit for his early guilty plea.
He will be helped to find accommodation and a job during the course of his time on probation.
