Offender jailed for Golden Square attack

Matthew Lee Vallance, 36, appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to 11 charges including recklessly causing serious injury, unlawful assault with a weapon, and theft.

Court documents provided to the Bendigo Advertiser said in the early hours of July 6 last year, Vallance and an associate went to a property in Golden Square where they met up with a friend and the victim.

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At the house, the group drank and smoked cannabis. About 3am, Vallance and two others went for a drive while the victim stayed at the property.

A short time later, the group returned to the house and Vallance called the victim to one of the bedrooms.

The documents said Vallance confronted the man and whacked him in the face with his elbow.

The victim fell to the bed as Vallance told him, "you should have come for a drive with us".

Vallance began slapping the victim across the face, asking the man where his money was.

The documents said Vallance hit the victim eight times with a kitchen knife, before asking the victim how many teeth he had and how many he wanted to keep.

Vallance then picked up a four-foot long stick wrapped in electrical tape with the intention to hit the victim in the head. The victim's left forearm was struck as he raised his hands to defend himself.

Vallance made the victim empty his pockets and take off his glasses and watch. He then ordered the victim to come outside with him so he could take him for a drive.

The documents said the victim did not believe he would come back if he got into the car, but he followed Vallance outside because he was scared.

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Just before 4.30am, Vallance and his associate led the victim to the car. As they approached the vehicle, the victim ran away, yelling for help.

Vallance and his associate were captured on CCTV footage chasing the victim before returning to their car a few minutes later. The victim was not with them.

The court documents said about 7.14am, a passer-by found the victim lying unresponsive on the nature strip near the Golden Square property.

The man, who had blood around his head, was brought to a Bendigo hospital for treatment.

The victim had bleeding on the outside of his brain, a fractured left forearm, a stab wound to the knee, and a possible fractured jaw.

Vallance was arrested in Geelong on July 30. He was wearing a black watch belonging to the victim at the time of his arrest.

Vallance admitted to officers that he was at the Golden Square property in the early hours of July 6. But he denied the assault and told police he did not know the victim.

Vallance on Thursday also pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified at the time of the July 6 assault.

Vallance's defence lawyer Christopher Edwards told the court while his client had a long criminal history, the 36-year-old had matured and was motivated to make better decisions.

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Mr Edwards said the charges were at the "lower end of the range" because the victim sustained a fractured arm in the attack.

The defence lawyer said the violence offences were "unlikely to be repeated" because Vallance had no known relationship with the victim.

Mr Edwards told the court a combination sentence of time in prison with a community corrections order would be appropriate.

The defence lawyer said the magistrate should show Vallance some leniency because he was at risk of becoming institutionalised.

Police prosecutor Richard Eskamp told the court the attack was "savage and unprovoked".

Mr Eskamp said Vallance had an "appallingly long" criminal history, with various stints in prison and numerous failed community corrections orders.

The prosecutor said any chance of rehabilitation for Vallance would be a "minor miracle", and the magistrate should impose a lengthy jail sentence with a non-parole period.

Magistrate Rodney Higgins told the court he did not agree with the defence's submission that the attack was at the lower end of the scale.

Mr Higgins said the victim sustained a fractured arm in the assault, which was considered as serious.

The magistrate convicted and jailed Vallance for two years, with a non-parole period of 15 months. His 280 days in pre-sentence detention were reckoned as already served.

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