Man jailed for throwing knife into former employee's eye
Ben Renyard was sentenced in Newcastle Local Court on Friday to two years behind bars, with a non-parole period of 16 months, after pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
The 37-year-old man had messaged a 26-year-old man, his former employee, multiple times asking him to help work on a car at Morpeth Motor Garage on the evening of July 3 last year.
But Renyard was highly intoxicated when the younger man and his mate turned up. Renyard had drunk up to 12 beers and two bottles of sambuca, and had taken cocaine and 10 Endone tablets.
Renyard was "playing" with a three-inch foldable knife and stabbing a cardboard box when the men said they had to leave. Renyard threw a bottle across the workshop, smashing it.
Suddenly, completely unprovoked and without warning, Renyard threw the blade in the direction of the two men, striking the 26-year-old in the eye.
The victim felt something smack him in the head, and a knife fell onto the ground when he touched his face. Blood was flowing.
"You f---ing got me, Ben," the victim screamed.
Renyard offered to drive the man to the hospital and said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened".
The man's friend took the victim to Maitland Hospital but he was transferred to John Hunter Hospital due to the seriousness of the injury.
The 26-year-old underwent multiple eye surgeries over a period of months but ultimately had his eye removed after doctors could not find the 7.5-millimetre piece of metal that was embedded in it.
A victim impact statement detailing the emotional and physical trauma the incident had caused and how the "future cannot be measured at this time" was handed up to the court. The victim faces further surgical intervention.
Magistrate Ian Cheetham said at sentencing on Friday that the victim felt embarrassed and struggled with self-confidence.
"It is entirely accepted that suffering such a significant injury ... his life has been forever affected," Mr Cheetham said.
"The loss is permanent."
The court heard Renyard had lived through a rough upbringing and struggled with several health conditions, including substance abuse disorders and mental illness.
The court heard he continued to have the support of his family and had expressed remorse and "devastation" for causing the victim to lose the eye.
Mr Cheetham said Renyard's conduct had caused a "permanent and serious disfiguring injury", but it was his inability to control his impulses that had caused him to recklessly throw the knife, rather than a deliberate action.
"There was no planning or evidence of malice," he said.
Mr Cheetham found special circumstances in the case.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) prosecuted the case in the local court, where lower penalties apply. Mr Cheetham said he would have imposed a sentence of two years and three months, but the maximum full-time jail term that can be handed down in that jurisdiction is two years.
A GARAGE owner had drunk up to a dozen beers and taken cocaine when he threw a knife at a former employee who had come to help him work on a car, causing a catastrophic eye injury.
Ben Renyard was sentenced in Newcastle Local Court on Friday to two years behind bars, with a non-parole period of 16 months, after pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
The 37-year-old man had messaged a 26-year-old man, his former employee, multiple times asking him to help work on a car at Morpeth Motor Garage on the evening of July 3 last year.
But Renyard was highly intoxicated when the younger man and his mate turned up. Renyard had drunk up to 12 beers and two bottles of sambuca, and had taken cocaine and 10 Endone tablets.
Renyard was "playing" with a three-inch foldable knife and stabbing a cardboard box when the men said they had to leave. Renyard threw a bottle across the workshop, smashing it.
Suddenly, completely unprovoked and without warning, Renyard threw the blade in the direction of the two men, striking the 26-year-old in the eye.
The victim felt something smack him in the head, and a knife fell onto the ground when he touched his face. Blood was flowing.
"You f---ing got me, Ben," the victim screamed.
Renyard offered to drive the man to the hospital and said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened".
The man's friend took the victim to Maitland Hospital but he was transferred to John Hunter Hospital due to the seriousness of the injury.
The 26-year-old underwent multiple eye surgeries over a period of months but ultimately had his eye removed after doctors could not find the 7.5-millimetre piece of metal that was embedded in it.
A victim impact statement detailing the emotional and physical trauma the incident had caused and how the "future cannot be measured at this time" was handed up to the court. The victim faces further surgical intervention.
Magistrate Ian Cheetham said at sentencing on Friday that the victim felt embarrassed and struggled with self-confidence.
"It is entirely accepted that suffering such a significant injury ... his life has been forever affected," Mr Cheetham said.
"The loss is permanent."
The court heard Renyard had lived through a rough upbringing and struggled with several health conditions, including substance abuse disorders and mental illness.
The court heard he continued to have the support of his family and had expressed remorse and "devastation" for causing the victim to lose the eye.
Mr Cheetham said Renyard's conduct had caused a "permanent and serious disfiguring injury", but it was his inability to control his impulses that had caused him to recklessly throw the knife, rather than a deliberate action.
"There was no planning or evidence of malice," he said.
Mr Cheetham found special circumstances in the case.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) prosecuted the case in the local court, where lower penalties apply. Mr Cheetham said he would have imposed a sentence of two years and three months, but the maximum full-time jail term that can be handed down in that jurisdiction is two years.
A GARAGE owner had drunk up to a dozen beers and taken cocaine when he threw a knife at a former employee who had come to help him work on a car, causing a catastrophic eye injury.
Ben Renyard was sentenced in Newcastle Local Court on Friday to two years behind bars, with a non-parole period of 16 months, after pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
The 37-year-old man had messaged a 26-year-old man, his former employee, multiple times asking him to help work on a car at Morpeth Motor Garage on the evening of July 3 last year.
But Renyard was highly intoxicated when the younger man and his mate turned up. Renyard had drunk up to 12 beers and two bottles of sambuca, and had taken cocaine and 10 Endone tablets.
Renyard was "playing" with a three-inch foldable knife and stabbing a cardboard box when the men said they had to leave. Renyard threw a bottle across the workshop, smashing it.
Suddenly, completely unprovoked and without warning, Renyard threw the blade in the direction of the two men, striking the 26-year-old in the eye.
The victim felt something smack him in the head, and a knife fell onto the ground when he touched his face. Blood was flowing.
"You f---ing got me, Ben," the victim screamed.
Renyard offered to drive the man to the hospital and said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened".
The man's friend took the victim to Maitland Hospital but he was transferred to John Hunter Hospital due to the seriousness of the injury.
The 26-year-old underwent multiple eye surgeries over a period of months but ultimately had his eye removed after doctors could not find the 7.5-millimetre piece of metal that was embedded in it.
A victim impact statement detailing the emotional and physical trauma the incident had caused and how the "future cannot be measured at this time" was handed up to the court. The victim faces further surgical intervention.
Magistrate Ian Cheetham said at sentencing on Friday that the victim felt embarrassed and struggled with self-confidence.
"It is entirely accepted that suffering such a significant injury ... his life has been forever affected," Mr Cheetham said.
"The loss is permanent."
The court heard Renyard had lived through a rough upbringing and struggled with several health conditions, including substance abuse disorders and mental illness.
The court heard he continued to have the support of his family and had expressed remorse and "devastation" for causing the victim to lose the eye.
Mr Cheetham said Renyard's conduct had caused a "permanent and serious disfiguring injury", but it was his inability to control his impulses that had caused him to recklessly throw the knife, rather than a deliberate action.
"There was no planning or evidence of malice," he said.
Mr Cheetham found special circumstances in the case.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) prosecuted the case in the local court, where lower penalties apply. Mr Cheetham said he would have imposed a sentence of two years and three months, but the maximum full-time jail term that can be handed down in that jurisdiction is two years.
A GARAGE owner had drunk up to a dozen beers and taken cocaine when he threw a knife at a former employee who had come to help him work on a car, causing a catastrophic eye injury.
Ben Renyard was sentenced in Newcastle Local Court on Friday to two years behind bars, with a non-parole period of 16 months, after pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
The 37-year-old man had messaged a 26-year-old man, his former employee, multiple times asking him to help work on a car at Morpeth Motor Garage on the evening of July 3 last year.
But Renyard was highly intoxicated when the younger man and his mate turned up. Renyard had drunk up to 12 beers and two bottles of sambuca, and had taken cocaine and 10 Endone tablets.
Renyard was "playing" with a three-inch foldable knife and stabbing a cardboard box when the men said they had to leave. Renyard threw a bottle across the workshop, smashing it.
Suddenly, completely unprovoked and without warning, Renyard threw the blade in the direction of the two men, striking the 26-year-old in the eye.
The victim felt something smack him in the head, and a knife fell onto the ground when he touched his face. Blood was flowing.
"You f---ing got me, Ben," the victim screamed.
Renyard offered to drive the man to the hospital and said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened".
The man's friend took the victim to Maitland Hospital but he was transferred to John Hunter Hospital due to the seriousness of the injury.
The 26-year-old underwent multiple eye surgeries over a period of months but ultimately had his eye removed after doctors could not find the 7.5-millimetre piece of metal that was embedded in it.
A victim impact statement detailing the emotional and physical trauma the incident had caused and how the "future cannot be measured at this time" was handed up to the court. The victim faces further surgical intervention.
Magistrate Ian Cheetham said at sentencing on Friday that the victim felt embarrassed and struggled with self-confidence.
"It is entirely accepted that suffering such a significant injury ... his life has been forever affected," Mr Cheetham said.
"The loss is permanent."
The court heard Renyard had lived through a rough upbringing and struggled with several health conditions, including substance abuse disorders and mental illness.
The court heard he continued to have the support of his family and had expressed remorse and "devastation" for causing the victim to lose the eye.
Mr Cheetham said Renyard's conduct had caused a "permanent and serious disfiguring injury", but it was his inability to control his impulses that had caused him to recklessly throw the knife, rather than a deliberate action.
"There was no planning or evidence of malice," he said.
Mr Cheetham found special circumstances in the case.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) prosecuted the case in the local court, where lower penalties apply. Mr Cheetham said he would have imposed a sentence of two years and three months, but the maximum full-time jail term that can be handed down in that jurisdiction is two years.
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The Advertiser
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Man jailed for throwing knife into former employee's eye
A GARAGE owner had drunk up to a dozen beers and taken cocaine when he threw a knife at a former employee who had come to help him work on a car, causing a catastrophic eye injury. Ben Renyard was sentenced in Newcastle Local Court on Friday to two years behind bars, with a non-parole period of 16 months, after pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm. The 37-year-old man had messaged a 26-year-old man, his former employee, multiple times asking him to help work on a car at Morpeth Motor Garage on the evening of July 3 last year. But Renyard was highly intoxicated when the younger man and his mate turned up. Renyard had drunk up to 12 beers and two bottles of sambuca, and had taken cocaine and 10 Endone tablets. Renyard was "playing" with a three-inch foldable knife and stabbing a cardboard box when the men said they had to leave. Renyard threw a bottle across the workshop, smashing it. Suddenly, completely unprovoked and without warning, Renyard threw the blade in the direction of the two men, striking the 26-year-old in the eye. The victim felt something smack him in the head, and a knife fell onto the ground when he touched his face. Blood was flowing. "You f---ing got me, Ben," the victim screamed. Renyard offered to drive the man to the hospital and said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened". The man's friend took the victim to Maitland Hospital but he was transferred to John Hunter Hospital due to the seriousness of the injury. The 26-year-old underwent multiple eye surgeries over a period of months but ultimately had his eye removed after doctors could not find the 7.5-millimetre piece of metal that was embedded in it. A victim impact statement detailing the emotional and physical trauma the incident had caused and how the "future cannot be measured at this time" was handed up to the court. The victim faces further surgical intervention. 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Renyard had drunk up to 12 beers and two bottles of sambuca, and had taken cocaine and 10 Endone tablets. Renyard was "playing" with a three-inch foldable knife and stabbing a cardboard box when the men said they had to leave. Renyard threw a bottle across the workshop, smashing it. Suddenly, completely unprovoked and without warning, Renyard threw the blade in the direction of the two men, striking the 26-year-old in the eye. The victim felt something smack him in the head, and a knife fell onto the ground when he touched his face. Blood was flowing. "You f---ing got me, Ben," the victim screamed. Renyard offered to drive the man to the hospital and said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened". The man's friend took the victim to Maitland Hospital but he was transferred to John Hunter Hospital due to the seriousness of the injury. The 26-year-old underwent multiple eye surgeries over a period of months but ultimately had his eye removed after doctors could not find the 7.5-millimetre piece of metal that was embedded in it. A victim impact statement detailing the emotional and physical trauma the incident had caused and how the "future cannot be measured at this time" was handed up to the court. The victim faces further surgical intervention. Magistrate Ian Cheetham said at sentencing on Friday that the victim felt embarrassed and struggled with self-confidence. "It is entirely accepted that suffering such a significant injury ... his life has been forever affected," Mr Cheetham said. "The loss is permanent." The court heard Renyard had lived through a rough upbringing and struggled with several health conditions, including substance abuse disorders and mental illness. The court heard he continued to have the support of his family and had expressed remorse and "devastation" for causing the victim to lose the eye. Mr Cheetham said Renyard's conduct had caused a "permanent and serious disfiguring injury", but it was his inability to control his impulses that had caused him to recklessly throw the knife, rather than a deliberate action. "There was no planning or evidence of malice," he said. Mr Cheetham found special circumstances in the case. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) prosecuted the case in the local court, where lower penalties apply. Mr Cheetham said he would have imposed a sentence of two years and three months, but the maximum full-time jail term that can be handed down in that jurisdiction is two years. A GARAGE owner had drunk up to a dozen beers and taken cocaine when he threw a knife at a former employee who had come to help him work on a car, causing a catastrophic eye injury. Ben Renyard was sentenced in Newcastle Local Court on Friday to two years behind bars, with a non-parole period of 16 months, after pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm. The 37-year-old man had messaged a 26-year-old man, his former employee, multiple times asking him to help work on a car at Morpeth Motor Garage on the evening of July 3 last year. But Renyard was highly intoxicated when the younger man and his mate turned up. Renyard had drunk up to 12 beers and two bottles of sambuca, and had taken cocaine and 10 Endone tablets. Renyard was "playing" with a three-inch foldable knife and stabbing a cardboard box when the men said they had to leave. Renyard threw a bottle across the workshop, smashing it. Suddenly, completely unprovoked and without warning, Renyard threw the blade in the direction of the two men, striking the 26-year-old in the eye. The victim felt something smack him in the head, and a knife fell onto the ground when he touched his face. Blood was flowing. "You f---ing got me, Ben," the victim screamed. Renyard offered to drive the man to the hospital and said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened". The man's friend took the victim to Maitland Hospital but he was transferred to John Hunter Hospital due to the seriousness of the injury. The 26-year-old underwent multiple eye surgeries over a period of months but ultimately had his eye removed after doctors could not find the 7.5-millimetre piece of metal that was embedded in it. A victim impact statement detailing the emotional and physical trauma the incident had caused and how the "future cannot be measured at this time" was handed up to the court. The victim faces further surgical intervention. Magistrate Ian Cheetham said at sentencing on Friday that the victim felt embarrassed and struggled with self-confidence. "It is entirely accepted that suffering such a significant injury ... his life has been forever affected," Mr Cheetham said. "The loss is permanent." The court heard Renyard had lived through a rough upbringing and struggled with several health conditions, including substance abuse disorders and mental illness. The court heard he continued to have the support of his family and had expressed remorse and "devastation" for causing the victim to lose the eye. Mr Cheetham said Renyard's conduct had caused a "permanent and serious disfiguring injury", but it was his inability to control his impulses that had caused him to recklessly throw the knife, rather than a deliberate action. "There was no planning or evidence of malice," he said. Mr Cheetham found special circumstances in the case. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) prosecuted the case in the local court, where lower penalties apply. Mr Cheetham said he would have imposed a sentence of two years and three months, but the maximum full-time jail term that can be handed down in that jurisdiction is two years. A GARAGE owner had drunk up to a dozen beers and taken cocaine when he threw a knife at a former employee who had come to help him work on a car, causing a catastrophic eye injury. Ben Renyard was sentenced in Newcastle Local Court on Friday to two years behind bars, with a non-parole period of 16 months, after pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm. The 37-year-old man had messaged a 26-year-old man, his former employee, multiple times asking him to help work on a car at Morpeth Motor Garage on the evening of July 3 last year. But Renyard was highly intoxicated when the younger man and his mate turned up. Renyard had drunk up to 12 beers and two bottles of sambuca, and had taken cocaine and 10 Endone tablets. Renyard was "playing" with a three-inch foldable knife and stabbing a cardboard box when the men said they had to leave. Renyard threw a bottle across the workshop, smashing it. Suddenly, completely unprovoked and without warning, Renyard threw the blade in the direction of the two men, striking the 26-year-old in the eye. The victim felt something smack him in the head, and a knife fell onto the ground when he touched his face. Blood was flowing. "You f---ing got me, Ben," the victim screamed. Renyard offered to drive the man to the hospital and said, "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened". The man's friend took the victim to Maitland Hospital but he was transferred to John Hunter Hospital due to the seriousness of the injury. The 26-year-old underwent multiple eye surgeries over a period of months but ultimately had his eye removed after doctors could not find the 7.5-millimetre piece of metal that was embedded in it. A victim impact statement detailing the emotional and physical trauma the incident had caused and how the "future cannot be measured at this time" was handed up to the court. The victim faces further surgical intervention. Magistrate Ian Cheetham said at sentencing on Friday that the victim felt embarrassed and struggled with self-confidence. "It is entirely accepted that suffering such a significant injury ... his life has been forever affected," Mr Cheetham said. "The loss is permanent." The court heard Renyard had lived through a rough upbringing and struggled with several health conditions, including substance abuse disorders and mental illness. The court heard he continued to have the support of his family and had expressed remorse and "devastation" for causing the victim to lose the eye. Mr Cheetham said Renyard's conduct had caused a "permanent and serious disfiguring injury", but it was his inability to control his impulses that had caused him to recklessly throw the knife, rather than a deliberate action. "There was no planning or evidence of malice," he said. Mr Cheetham found special circumstances in the case. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) prosecuted the case in the local court, where lower penalties apply. Mr Cheetham said he would have imposed a sentence of two years and three months, but the maximum full-time jail term that can be handed down in that jurisdiction is two years.
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