A disability support pensioner who bashed another man with a trolley pole while on parole after helping lure the victim to a house in Kaleen will spend at least another two years behind bars.
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Michael John Barron, 35, was on Tuesday sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court to three years and nine months in prison for intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm, after a discount was applied for his early guilty plea.
Barron and two others arranged on February 23 for the victim to come to the house to collect his belongings after a dispute. The three co-offenders were lying in wait to assault him when he arrived. The court heard the closed-circuit television system at the house had been switched off before the victim arrived.
One of Barron's co-offenders said in a phone call that night the victim was, "Going on a long holiday".
After the victim arrived the following afternoon, Barron used a pole taken from a shopping trolley handle, which the court heard was between 1.5 and 2 feet long, to strike the victim. The victim began to bleed profusely.
The court heard the victim, who had been loading his belongings into a ute, was defenceless at the time of the attack.
After beating the victim, Barron told him to, "F--- off, and don't come back".
The court heard the victim suffered a chipped tooth, broken finger, fractured skull and deep lacerations in his head, which left his skull visible above the left eye.
A medical assessment completed shortly after the incident found the victim was susceptible to permanent facial scarring, reduced finger movement and head trauma which could lead to future mental impairment, but the court heard there was no evidence this had happened.
After the attack, Barron and one of his co-offenders tried to frame a third co-offender in a series of text messages.
Chief Justice Helen Murrell said Barron had "somewhat reasonable prospects" of rehabilitation but the only appropriate sentence was a period of imprisonment. Barron had a significant history of illicit substance abuse and although he was keen to stay abstinent, he was vulnerable to relapse, she said.
Barron's role in the attack meant his culpability was significantly greater than his co-offenders and he had potentially been motivated by a desire for retribution or to correct a perceived wrong, Chief Justice Murrell said.
Barron's co-offenders, Jennie Louise Wright and Brandon Ashley Edgerton, on Tuesday had their matters adjourned for sentencing next year.
Barron will be eligible for release on parole in October 2022.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
