Drunken louts shock students
SALLY GLAETZER
February 05, 2010 07:48am
A SENSELESS attack left Chinese students traumatised and reluctant to return to Tasmania, a prosecutor says.
A jury yesterday found two young Hobart men guilty of taking part in a drunken group attack on University of Tasmania law student Poh Leong Kee on March 7.
A third offender has pleaded guilty to assaulting the Singaporean student and also Mr Poh's housemate Ting "Rachael" Xiang, a young Chinese woman.
Crown prosecutor Tony Jacobs told the Supreme Court in Hobart the incident had serious ramifications for Ms Xiang and three young Chinese men who witnessed the assaults.
The Multicultural Council of Tasmania is urging the State Government to publicly condemn such attacks to help protect foreign guests.
Brodie John Cockshutt, 20, of Bridgewater, and Aaron Nicholas Farrell, 19, of New Norfolk, were found guilty of assaulting Mr Poh.
They and two other males attacked Mr Poh outside his house in a bid to steal his car.
Ms Xiang was also hit when she came to Mr Poh's aid.
The offenders were caught almost immediately by police.
Mr Jacobs said the attackers clearly knew their victims were foreign students and probably assumed they were "soft targets".
Ms Xiang and Mr Poh's three other housemates were traumatised by the event, he said.
The court heard Ms Xiang was too frightened even to give evidence via videolink from China.
Mr Jacobs said she was unlikely to return to Australia, while the others were not sure if they would continue studying in Tasmania.
Mr Poh was comparatively unscathed, despite being the primary victim. He finished his law degree last year and will soon return to Singapore.
Davor Perovic from the Multicultural Council urged the Government to speak out against attacks on foreigners.
"They are the future leaders of various nations, which we down the track will more than likely seek to do business with, and they will certainly remember their experiences here and they will judge us according to those experiences," Mr Perovic said.
"The Government should be more vocal, educate people so the elements who are this way inclined don't think it's OK and that they'll get away with it."
Cockshutt, Farrell and a third man who already pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Poh and Ms Xiang will be sentenced on February 15.
The fourth offender was dealt with in the youth justice court.
http://www.themercury.com.au/art ... calesofjustice.html |
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