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Subscriber only A man charged with attempted murder failed to appear before court because he admitted himself to hospital for psychiatric treatment over the weekend. Aydin Brown, 31, is facing trial alongside his co-accused Mark Gary Brown, 30, for the attempted murder of Benn Peterson in July 2017. It is alleged Mr Peterson was bashed and set on fire near on Kyogle Rd, Kunghur, near Uki, by the two men. Police will also allege the pair kidnapped Phillip Green on the same day. Both men are each expected to defend one charge of causing wounding or grievous bodily harm to a person with intent to murder and taking or detaining a person in company with intent to get advantage and occasioning actual bodily harm.
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Subscriber only A man serving time behind bars for his part in a violent attack at a Byron Bay caravan park will appeal his sentence. Braiden Isaac Ward, 28, from Halfway Creek, was sentenced to 12 months behind bars in December. His non-parole period was due to expire in April. Ward was not required to appear by video link from custody when his case was mentioned before Byron Bay Local Court on Monday. A bail application was initially expected to go before the court, but this was withdrawn. Ward was convicted in his absence of the two counts of two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault in July last year.
A Lismore mother has been sentenced after pleading guilty to supplying a prohibited drug after she was targeted by a local police operation looking into the supply of methylamphetamine. Ashleigh Aitken, 30, pleaded guilty to supplying 49.75 grams of methylamphetamine between April 8 to 22 this year. Operation Braun Beck, launched by police in January 2020, identified Aitken as being involved in the supply of prohibited drugs in Ballina and Goonellabah, according to court documents. Court records show a series of text messages between Aitken and her co-accused discussing the supply of methylamphetamine, which is a prohibited substance and Xanax, which is a restricted substance under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act.
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It doesn’t matter what age you are, if you do the wrong thing you can expect to pay the price and end up before the court – just ask these pensioners.
These Northern Rivers pensioners found themselves on the wrong side of the law this year.
We take a look back at some of the crimes they were convicted for in 2020:
• Paul Anthony Johnson
A disability pensioner punched a taxi driver when asked to pay his fare, a North Coast court heard.
Paul Anthony Johnson, 61, appeared in Tweed Heads Local Court on November 16 facing a charge of common assault.