A Tasmanian Supreme Court judge has been found guilty of assault and emotional abuse. Justice Gregory Geason has appeared in the Hobart magistrates court where presiding Victorian Deputy chief magistrate Susan Wakeling handed down her decision.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Justice Gheeson was asked to take leave from the Supreme Court in November over what the
00:06government described as a serious matter. It was later revealed he had been charged
00:11with one count of assault and one count of emotional abuse or intimidation, and he pleaded
00:16not guilty to both.
00:18Victorian Magistrate Susan Wakeling has been overseeing the case due to the unusual circumstances.
00:24In July, the court heard allegations that Justice Gheeson assaulted a woman by grabbing
00:28her, striking her to the chest and pushing her into a mantelpiece, causing bruising
00:33and a concussion.
00:34Justice Gheeson told the court the woman had tripped and fallen due to alcohol intoxication
00:39and bruising on her arms was caused by him helping her up.
00:42Today, Magistrate Wakeling said she accepted evidence from a doctor that the injuries were
00:46most likely caused by an assault and not accidental, and said they were acts done in anger.
00:52She also found that he tracked the woman's movements, used vicious insults and pressured
00:57her into putting her house up as equity for a loan, and said the woman was a witness of
01:02truth and convincing.
01:04The Tasmanian government has legislation before parliament to set up a process to handle complaints
01:09about judges. In the meantime, it's not yet clear whether the government will move a motion
01:13in parliament to remove Justice Gheeson from the bench.