Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Volatile dad finally jailed--but will he retain his custodial rights? (Australia)

Read this through, and you'll see that dad VALENTINE LESLIE BROWN doesn't just have a lead foot. This guy is a menace. He's also the kind of father that is continuously granted access to the kids, regardless of how unstable, volatile, or violent he is--thanks to a very powerful fathers' rights lobby in Australia. He's going to jail for a year--but what about after that? Will the kids and their mother be subjected to all this crap all over again?

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/1344046/eaglehawk-father-jailed-for-speeding/?cs=80

Eaglehawk father jailed for speeding

By JOSH FAGAN March 6, 2013, 1 a.m.

AN Eaglehawk man has been jailed after leading police on a high speed pursuit with his two-year-old child in the backseat.

Valentine Leslie Brown, 38, was sentenced to one year and four months in prison over a number of charges, including dangerous driving, assault, and intentionally causing injury to his partner and 12-year-old son.

Brown, a father of three, pleaded guilty yesterday to the offences committed between 2011 and 2012.

The court heard Brown drove at 100km/h through a 60km/h zone along Holmes Road on September 27, 2011 and failed to stop for two kilometres as police cars followed him with sirens.

When police pulled him over, they discovered his two-year-old child was in the back seat and that he had been driving while suspended.

Brown told police officers at the time that it was because of their incompetence he hadn’t been caught earlier.

In separate charges of assault and recklessly causing injury, the court heard Brown “headbutted” his de facto partner because she would not grant him access to their son on September 29, 2012.

Brown was also charged with recklessly causing injury to his 12-year-old son as he tried to grab him.

Appearing in court yesterday, Brown’s partner said the impact of the headbutt had not been severe and that Brown had apologised to her straight after the incident.

Defence lawyer Bob Cameron said his client had difficulty calming himself when he became agitated.

Brown held his head in his hands as he sat in the dock and repeatedly talked to himself during the plea hearing.

As his sentencing was being read out he tried to interject and shouted that he did not want a period of parole.

He then swore at police as they handcuffed him and continued to bang on the door of the divisional van outside.

Magistrate Jennifer Tregent said the number of charges were of a serious nature and that Brown’s careless driving had endangered lives.

“You (Brown) put everybody’s lives at risk and you put your two-year-old child’s life at risk,” she said.

“It seems you have conducted yourself with little regard for others.”

Brown will be jailed for one year and four months, with a minimum non-parole period of 10 months.

He is also set to be sentenced in relation to other charges of aggravated burglary and false imprisonment that he was remanded for last December.