Oz man given three months jail for threatening Indian cabbie
By ANIFriday, January 15, 2010
MELBOURNE - An Australian court has sentenced Paul John Brogden of Ballarat in Western Victoria to serve three months in jail after he threatened to kill an Indian taxi driver.
Brogden, 48, pleaded guilty in the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court to two counts of unlawful assault, one count of criminal damage to the value of 1520 dollars and making threats to kill.
The court heard that Brogden had called for a taxi at about 2 a.m. this morning, after an extended binge drinking session where he consumed 24 VB stubbies on top of several Valium tablets that he was taking for a back injury.
Brogden became verbally abusive toward the 24-year-old taxi driver, Satheesh Thatipamula, after he believed the driver had taken him the wrong way, The Australian reports.
He allegedly said: “When you drop me off I will kill you, you mother f**king Indian, I will kill you, you f**king Indian b_stard.”
Brogden then followed him into the store, before assaulting the driver and another man who was pumping petrol at the same time.
Brogden’s lawyer, Philip Lynch, said he had consumed so much alcohol that he could not remember the events of the night.
The magistrate also hit out at binge drinking, saying “alcohol fueled violence in our community is a real scourge.” (ANI)
