Man given suspended sentence over assault of police officers with a speer
A warning this story contains vision of the incident which some viewers may find confronting. A Palmerston man who was shot by police after threatening them with a spear has been spared jail time with a judge finding he was unlikely to re-offend.
Transcript
00:00At the Darwin local court today, Judge Benno Lachlan said Skeen's 14-month sentence for
00:07assaulting two officers and going armed in public would be suspended.
00:12Judge O'Lachlan said it was unlikely he would re-offend given his lifelong injuries.
00:17Physically, he couldn't commit any crime like this again, coupled with perhaps cognitive
00:22injuries and again, unsurprisingly, mental health consequences.
00:27The full impact of Peter Skeen's injuries revealed today in Darwin local court.
00:32His lawyer saying the incident two years ago will affect the rest of his life.
00:37Clancy Dane told the court his client's heart stopped and he suffered a brain injury as
00:41a result of the shooting.
00:43There's no punishment that this court could impose on Mr Skeen that's going to punish
00:48him more than he's already suffered.
00:51Skeen often appeared in court in a wheelchair and today it was noted that he requires a
00:56frame to walk short distances.
00:58The prosecution had sought a suspended sentence of five years, pointing out that Skeen was
01:03not the only one feeling the after-effects of this shooting.
01:07Crown Prosecutor Damien Jones described Skeen's actions as having a devastating impact on
01:13Constable Chmielowski's life.
01:16The matter now resolved before the courts, even if those involved still carry the trauma.
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