Shearer sentenced for assault over partner's handbag
Daniel Double was sentenced to seven months in prison, suspended, for assaulting seasonal worker John Sapei.
Daniel Double, a shearer, punched seasonal worker John Sapei three times in the face after his then-partner's handbag was picked up from a street in Launceston in March 2022. Sapei, from Vanuatu, may have thought the handbag was abandoned when he picked it up.
Double caught him on Charles Street and forced him to the ground, punching him repeatedly. Sapei suffered extensive facial fractures, a broken nose, and a swollen eye that required surgery.
He has since returned to Vanuatu. Justice Robert Pearce accepted Double's plea that the first punch was justified as defence of property, but the additional punches were unlawful.
Double was sentenced to seven months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
- Daniel Double, shearer
- Perpetrator
- John Sapei, seasonal worker from Vanuatu
- Victim
- March 12, 2022
- Incident date
- 7 months suspended for 18 months
- Sentence
Why it mattersThe sentence shows courts take serious assaults over minor disputes seriously, even when property recovery is the initial motivation.
AustraliaSeasonal workers in Australia face risks when caught in disputes with locals; the case reinforces legal protections against disproportionate force.
Corroborated bytheadvocate.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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