A Tasmanian supreme court judge has been sentenced after being found guilty of assault and emotional abuse. While Gregory Geason has avoided a jail term, he'll have to serve a 12-month community corrections order which includes 100 hours of community service.
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00:00From Supreme Court judge to convicted criminal, Gregory Gheeson had little to say as he left
00:08court with family members.
00:10What's your response to the sentence?
00:12I have nothing to say, I've said that.
00:15The 63-year-old, who was once the Victims of Crime Commissioner, was charged with assault
00:20and emotional abuse late last year.
00:23Gheeson denied the allegations, but last month he was found guilty on both counts.
00:28Magistrate Susan Wakeling today sentencing him to a 12-month community corrections order,
00:34including 100 hours of community work, saying your moral culpability for the commission
00:40of the offences is high, having regard to the relationship with the complainant and
00:45your breach of her trust.
00:47Gheeson had grabbed the woman and forcefully pushed her backwards, causing her head to
00:51hit a mantelpiece.
00:53He'd also subjected her to vicious insults and tracked her movements using technology.
00:59The prosecution told the court a term of imprisonment would be appropriate.
01:04The defence said no conviction should be recorded, arguing Gheeson had already suffered significant
01:10reputational damage and had tended his resignation from the Supreme Court.
01:15The magistrate ultimately decided to record a conviction, saying the offending must be
01:20regarded as serious in the context of family violence, noting the woman has suffered ongoing
01:26physical and emotional trauma.
01:30She ordered Gheeson to continue psychological or psychiatric treatment, telling him you
01:36have not demonstrated any remorse for your offending conduct, even following the finding
01:41of guilt.
01:42Gheeson has separately pleaded guilty in the NSW local court to contravening an apprehended
01:48violence order.
01:49He'll be sentenced for that offence next month.