Nigel Beswick was found not guilty today of Riot on charges relating to the night of February
21st 2000 at Goolengook.
Ian Pelz and Richard Yelds, both timber workers from Orbost pleaded guilty to Unlawful
Assembly in County Court in Bairnsdale today. They were convicted for their role in the
attack and received a four month prison sentence suspended for a year.
Sid Barr, Timothy Joiner, Peter Kurrle, Michael Jonkers, John Richardson, Scott Rogers, and
Brian Cameron , who were committed to trial in January 2001, had their cases dropped due to
‘lack of evidence.’
Approximately fifty men participated in a violent attack on ten protestors close to their camp in
Goolengook Forest, East Gippsland, in February 2000. Judge Ross of the County Court
condemned the attack in court last May as "vigilante justice that… must not be tolerated…in
our community."
Of the alleged fifty men engaged in the attack, twenty-one were committed to trial on riot
charges. Of the twenty-one, twelve (including the two that were sentenced today.) have
admitted to being at the scene of the crime and to participating in property damage totalling
$30,000. However none were charged for the ten assaults that night.
Only the acquitted man, Beswick, has been taken to trial on riot charges, which include the
assaults. Unlike the twelve who have pleaded guilty to lesser charges, Beswick has not been
employed by the timber industry for ten years. He not only denied involvement in the incident,
but also expressed concern about clearfelling in the region and sympathy for the protestor’s
cause.
"This was the most violent act of political terrorism in East Gippsland’s recent history and the
police and the courts have failed to punish it adequately. We expected that with the body of
evidence, including a video tape of parts of the attack and police eye witness identifications,
people would be held accountable." Said Tom Crook spokes person for the victims.
"We find it ironic that in an attack motivated by logging politics the only man ever pursued
fully was the one with the weakest industry links. This has disturbing implications the
industries influence on the processes of justice." Said Tom.
For Further Comment:
Rena Gaborov or Tom Crook
Goongerah Environment Centre Office
(03) 5154 0156
Barrister Rob Stary has commended the four month prison sentences handed
down in Bairnsdale County Court yesterday as a testament to the
seriousness of the Goolengook attack.
Judge Ross, in handing down his sentence yesterday, described the
incident as "despicable", "ugly", and "an attack on the good order and
discipline of the community." He said he intended his sentence to
"roundly denounce" the defendants’ "conduct, which is an offense to the
community."
"We are pleased that Judge Ross recognized the seriousness of the
crimes, and issued prison sentences," Stary said.
The mob attack on the long-standing Goolengook protest camp by fifty
local men was the most brutal act of terror in East Gippsalnd’s recent
history and involved assaults on nine conservationists and an estimated
thirty thousand dollars of damage to property.
Yesterday, in the Bairnsdale County Court, ten local men were sentenced
to four months imprisonment, suspended for a year, for their involvement
in the attack. Earlier this month, the men, from Orbost, Newmerella,
Buchan and Nowa Nowa, pleaded guilty to 'Unlawful Assembly,' a charge
carrying a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.
Local forest activists are "pleased that some admission of guilt for the
horrifying incident has been made," said spokesperson Mo Harris.
"However, for the nine victims of the assaults later that night, which
were not considered in yesterday’s guilty plea, this sentence is only
the beginning of adequate punishment." They look forward to the jury
trial in Bairnsdale later this year, when more local men from the
logging industry will be contesting the more serious charge of Riot
which includes the assaults.
For further comment:
Rob Stary 0418 349 432
Mo Harris GECO 5154 0156
Yesterday in the Bairnsdale Magistrate’s Court, two local men from the
logging industry pleaded guilty to charges related to the mob attack on
Goolengook protestors in February 2000. The attack, involving 50 men
from the region, was the most brutal political terrorism in recent
memory. It involved a midnight raid on the long-standing Goolengook
protest camp, the assault of at least 9 individuals, and the damage of
nearly $30,000 in property including two cars and a motorcycle.
Twenty-four men were originally charged with the attack following an
investigation by the Bairnsdale Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB), and
of these, three had their charges dropped at a committal hearing in
2001. The current hearing, beginning on Monday with a twenty-five year
old local man pleading guilty to the charge of unlawful assembly, is
expected to run for a week, with a total of ten defendents scheduled to
enter pleas.
Yesterday another two local men pleaded guilty to the same charge of
unlawful assembly, a common law offence with a maximum penalty of five
years imprisonment. This is an admission by the men that they intended
to commit a crime using open force. Three more are expected to appear
in court today; leaving four more to be heard by the end of the week.
The men will be sentenced when the Magistrate has deliberated over the
evidence presented this week, which includes statements by the victims
of the attack. Another three of the men are expected to enter a plea of
'not guilty' and will go to trial later this year.
"The events of that night were designed to instill terror in the public
and prevent them from exercising their right to protest," said Mo
Harris, spokesperson for the victims. "Terror tactics have been loudly
and universally attacked this year. We hope that the sentencing
reflects the community’s, and the country’s, commitment to the
principles of peaceful democratic participation and abhorrence for brute
terrorist intimidation."
"We hope that the serious nature of this crime will be reflected in
sentencing" said barrister Rob Stary. "So far, conservationists have
been disproportionately dealt with when charged with non-violent
offences; and it’s time authorities took an even-handed approach,
sending the message that vigilante tactics will not be accepted by the
community," he concluded.
For comment contact:
Nectaria Calan or Fiona York at GECO on 03 51 54 01 56;
or Rob Stary on 0418 349 432
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