The Daily Telegraph • May 24, 2007 12:00AM 'Cannot be tolerated' ... Jim Byrnes was sentenced to jail Source: The Daily Telegraph CONTROVERSIAL Sydney businessman Jim Byrnes was yesterday described as a violent "standover thug" and then jailed for destroying a solicitor's office with a baseball bat. The 47-year-old former financial adviser to Alan Bond was sentenced to four months prison for the attack - but immediately sent for $10,000 cash to secure his bail pending an appeal. He left court after spending close to two hours in the cells below the Downing Centre Local Court where he had earlier pleaded guilty to charges of affray, malicious damage and having custody of an offensive implement in a public place. He admitted using a wooden baseball bat in the attack on the inner-city Castlereagh St office of Hector Ekes, a solicitor with legal firm Edwin Davey Commercial Litigation Lawyers, in December last year. Byrnes' lawyer Wayne Baffsky told the inquiry his client was not normally a violent person but had experienced a "brain snap" as he had been concerned about providing for his family over Christmas. Magistrate Paul Lyon did not mince words when sentencing Byrnes. "What cannot happen is the old days of the debt collector picking up a baseball bat and, with violence, being a standover thug to collect money," Mr Lyon said. "It cannot be tolerated in a civilised society and that's exactly what you have resorted to." Mr Lyon sentenced Byrnes to a total of four months jail on the charges. Mr Baffsky had asked his client be placed on a good behaviour bond due to his remorse. Mr Lyon granted Byrnes bail with $10,000 to be deposited as surety. Byrnes, who had looked stunned as his sentence was handed out, was heard to order Mr Baffsky to contact his wife Gina immediately to arrange the bail. |
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sogar am Wochenenden ist hier was los
