Former Socceroo and Football Australia hall of fame member Scott Chipperfield has been found guilty and sentenced on one count of common assault after a domestic violence incident.
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Chipperfield, 47, maintained his right to silence throughout the hearing in Wollongong Local Court, after earlier this year entering not guilty pleas to one count of common assault and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The Wollongong Wolves and FC Basel midfielder was charged by police after they were called to his home in Corrimal in March this year.
That night, Chipperfield's partner had earlier called 000, telling the operator "my partner has just beat me".
During the call, which was played in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday, the woman told the operator Chipperfield was at that stage hiding in the bathroom and had consumed a large amount of alcohol. In the background of the 000 call, Chipperfield can be heard yelling incoherently.
When police arrived at 1.20am on March 13, they found Chipperfield naked from the waist up and mid-way through a bottle of beer.
Officers asked Chipperfield to put down the beer, before they informed him he is under arrest. Chipperfield then began to argue with police, saying "under arrest, for what?" and "I'm not going anywhere."
After Chipperfield puts a shirt back on, police escorted him from the home, as he can be heard telling them "I don't care".
Afterwards, on police body worn video, the woman told police what has occurred. After picking Chipperfield up from a lawn bowls competition, the woman and Chipperfield went to a bar where they had some drinks.
After coming home, Chipperfield said the bar had short-changed him on his drinks, serving him singles instead of doubles. The woman began to prepare to go to bed, as Chipperfield sat on the couch, with the woman later telling police Chipperfield would often remain on the sofa until early in the morning and pass out after consuming a large amount of alcohol.
After urging him to go to bed, Chipperfield began to become aggressive towards his partner, telling her "I'll lock you out" after a discussion about the family dog.
The woman went to lie down in the backseat of the car, but after it began to rain heavily came back inside, only to find Chipperfield had locked the front door.
Entering through the back door, the woman found Chipperfield passed out on the couch, having urinated on himself and the lounge and drunk half a bottle of vodka.
After urging Chipperfield again to go to bed, Chipperfield began to act aggressively, throwing his arms around, the woman told police, before grabbing her by her hair and "ragdolling" the woman around the kitchen, slamming her into the cabinetry, floor, and a bin, before he fell into a door, knocking it off its hinges.
The assault stopped when the woman called out to her son, who came downstairs after which Chipperfield immediately went into the toilet.
Police took Chipperfield to Wollongong Police Station where he was too drunk to give an interview and later charged him with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
During the hearing in Wollongong Local Court, the woman and her son were unavailable to give evidence, however Magistrate Michael O'Brien accepted the body worn video, the woman's statement on the night and her call to 000 as evidence, as well as the evidence of the police officer in charge.
At the outset, police prosecutor sergeant Amelia Wall conceded that the woman's eventual injuries did not meet the severity required for the assault occasioning actual bodily harm and Mr O'Brien dismissed that charge.
Chipperfield maintained his right to silence and his lawyer, Daryl Quirk said without the woman in the courtroom, her evidence and that of the video could not be tested.
"It would be unsafe to convict on untested evidence," he said.
However, Mr O'Brien found the woman's evidence on the night to be convincing.
"In my view the account recorded is a clear, spontaneous, unrehearsed and unvarnished narrative, with no sense of dissembling," he said.
"I am satisfied it was accurate, reliable, credible, consistent throughout, [demonstrating] authenticity and reliability."
Mr O'Brien found the offence of common assault proven, but in noting Chipperfield's lack of any criminal history did not record a conviction, and released Chipperfield subject to supervision and the terms of a court order, which require Chipperfield not to harm the woman or be in her presence less than 12 hours after consuming alcohol.
Chipperfield started his soccer career as a Bellambi junior. He went on to play 68 games for the Socceroos, won National Soccer League titles with Wollongong Wolves in 2000 and 2001 and played in the European Champions League with Swiss club FC Basel.
Instrumental in Australia's progress to the round of 16 in the 2006 World Cup, Chipperfield retired from international football after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
More recently, Chipperfield has coached Women's NSW National Premier League club the Illawarra Stingrays and Illawarrra Premier League side Tarrawanna.
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Connor Pearce
Federal Political Reporter working for The Canberra Times from the parliamentary press gallery. Something to get off your chest? Connor.pearce@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Federal Political Reporter working for The Canberra Times from the parliamentary press gallery. Something to get off your chest? Connor.pearce@austcommunitymedia.com.au
