A man has reacted with surprise after being sentenced to jail for assault, harass over the phone and destroy property offences.
Judge Doug Dick has sentenced Matthew Paul to 10 months behind bars with 4 months non-parole, backdated to when he was arrested on February 10.
But it was the next part of the punishment that garnered a reaction from Paul.
The unemployed homeless man was also fined $2000 to which he responded loudly “Holy Dooley”.
Judge Dick responded that this was only ten percent of what it could have been.
His lawyer Adam Sumbak told the court his client is someone who had fallen through the cracks after his marriage broke down in 2019, leading to mental health issues and homelessness where he had to literally sleep on the ground in the bush.
“It’s hard to deal with mental health issues when you are literally sleeping on the ground.” Mr Sumbak said.
“When he was taken into custody he was seen by two psychiatrists in Long Bay mental health unit. An assessment shows he is now calm and is focused on the future,” he said.
“He is now able to identify that his offending is related to not taking his medication.”
Judge Doug Dick agreed with the characterisation and told Paul “You are still getting punished but are being given a chance.”
