By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Dandenong man has been jailed for more than two years after he brutally bashed a boarding-house mate with an iron bar during a drug-fuelled movie night.
David Ratcliffe, 51, pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious injury for inflicting multiple strikes that broke bones and lacerated the victim’s head, body, arms and legs.
During sentencing on 30 January, Dandenong Magistrates’ Court judge Jack Vandersteen said Ratcliffe and the victim were “very lucky it wasn’t a homicide”.
“It’s very clear that you must have repetitively struck the victim with that weapon.
“It’s a very serious assault from the top of his head to his ankle area.”
Mr Vandersteen noted that one of the blows caused a deep laceration that was “down to the bone” of the victim’s skull.
Another shattered part of the victim’s skull.
There were also defensive injuries to his arms including a fracture and lacerations to the right forearm – one of them again down to the bone.
Once the victim had been knocked to the floor his legs were lacerated several times by the blows and his right tibia was fractured, Mr Vandersteen said.
The assault came soon after Ratcliffe had accused his mate of stealing from him, Mr Vandersteen said.
At first, Ratcliffe denied the assault to police. He then said the pair had used drugs during the night and watched movies on TV but was unable to recall the argument.
“When the police described the injuries, there’s no doubt that you were surprised and remorseful,” Mr Vandersteen said.
Mr Vandersteen noted Ratcliffe’s most serious prior offence of armed robbery and his history of drug-linked schizophrenia, transience and unemployment.
The accused’s drug use started with cannabis 37 years ago then branched into amphetamines, GHB and most recently, ice.
He was a different person since sobering up while in remand for nearly three months, Mr Vandersteen said.
“But you can see the type of person that you can become. It’s a very destructive, violent person.”
Ratcliffe was jailed for two years – the Magistrate Court jurisdiction’s maximum term – plus three further months for failing to appear on bail.
He will be eligible for parole after 16 months.
