news, local-news, Warrnambool Magistrates Court, Tumohe Cherrington

A YOUNG New Zealand father now living and working in Warrnambool has been fined $3000 after being involved in a savage gang attack at Dandenong. Tumohe Cherrington, 23, of Jellie Court, Warrnambool, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to affray, assault in company, two thefts and four counts of failing to answer bail. He was convicted and fined $3000 and ordered to pay compensation. Police said that on September 21, 2012, a man and woman had been at the Dandenong Inn with friends. They were walking home when they were attacked by a group of people described as “islanders” who were drinking in a park. One of the group struck the man to the head and he fell to the ground. Cherrington and five others then punched and stomped on the fallen man. The victim was also beaten to the body and face with a piece of wood, and one of the attackers produced a knife and attempted to slash the victim, who tried to grab the knife. One of the attackers threatened to kill the victim and when the woman tried to step in she was grabbed by her hair and scarf, choking her. When the attackers walked off the woman called them “evil”, at which they returned and continued the beating, causing the male victim to lose consciousness for a short time. An ambulance arrived to find the man covered in blood, having suffered a four-centimetre laceration to his forehead and bruising and abrasions to his head and body. Cherrington made some admissions when interviewed by police. He then failed to attend at court four times. His four co-offenders received a range of penalties up to a 12-month community corrections order with a condition to do nearly 200 hours’ community work for a repeat offender. Other charges Cherrington faced related to stealing a mobile phone on September 21, 2013, from a Hungry Jack’s restaurant and taking meat valued at $200 from a supermarket after he and a co-accused attempted to assault a staff member. Defence counsel Alex McCulloch said that at the time of the offending Cherrington had moved from New Zealand to Australia, was unemployed and not eligible for social security benefits. He said his client had made a number of poor decisions back then but was now employed, in a stable relationship and had two small children. Magistrate John Lesser said the matters had taken a long time to come to court because Cherrington had failed to appear. He said the affray was a serious offence and the victims would have been very frightened.

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