Paul Graham VALLIS

Rusty nail isn’t kosher

A SIX-year-old boy bit into a kosher sausage recently, only to find a rusty needle in it.

The 3.5cm needle was discovered after the child complained that something had lodged in his mouth.

The boy’s mother, who purchased the packet of sausages from Coles Supermarket at Bondi Junction, told the Australian Jewish News that she “freaked out; my son could have died if he had swallowed the needle”.

Coles media relations manager Lisa Amor confirmed that a “contamination has been reported. We believe it was introduced at store level. We’re making inquiries with our supplier, but we’ve handed the matter to the police, who will be conducting the investigation.”

Waverley Police Detective-Sergeant Paul Vallis said “both Waverley Police and the NSW Department of Public Health have taken a report of the incident and we’re monitoring the situation”.

Stephen Lewis, general manager of Melbourne’s Continental Kosher Butchers — the supplier of the sausages — said he “was loathe to make any formal statement … given the police involvement”. Nevertheless, he stressed that “the processing procedures, coupled with regular external audit inspections of the processing premises, were such that the inclusion of any foreign matter such as described simply could not have been effected in production”.

Mr Lewis said “as an official supplier to Coles Supermarkets Australia for some years, I’m confident that the company will properly investigate all matters associated with the claims, which will no doubt result in no blame being laid on Continental Kosher Butchers’ procedures”. He urged customers to “check that products are sealed when purchasing. If a consumer notices any breakage to a package, it should be handed to a Coles employee” to ensure that it is not sold.

Two found guilty on Partlic jail bashing

SYDNEY: After considering its verdict for three hours, a Sydney District Court jury found two men guilty yesterday of the savage bashing of teenage fine defaulter Jamie Partlic in Long Bay jail in November 1987.

The jury found Gary Donald Stokes, 33, of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

His co-accused, Darren Bruce Difford, 22, was found guilty of the lesser charge of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. He faces a maximum of seven years’ jail.

After the verdicts, Detective-Sergeant Paul Vallis told the court that Stokes was currently serving a sentence of 18 years, with a 15-year non-parole period, after pleading guilty last month to another charge of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.

Crown Prosecutor Chris Maxwell said that that charge had considerable relevance to the bashing of Mr Partlic. It related to an incident in Newcastle in 1986 in which Stokes bashed another man, Nick Psaltis, and jumped up and down on his head in an argument over drugs.

Stokes’s counsel, Ken Magnus, said he had lodged an appeal against the severity of that sentence.

In a brief outburst from the dock, Stokes said, “He sentenced me to 18 years because he knew about this case. That’s why I got 18 years.”

Sergeant Vallis said Difford was currently serving a sentence for breaking and entering and was due for release in June next year.

Judge Nash remanded both to appear for sentence this morning.

The Jamie Partlic case has had a far-reaching effect on the prison system in NSW, acting as the catalyst for reforms within the jail system and the abolition of jail terms for those who failed to pay fines imposed for minor offences.

Traffic offenders now have their driver’s licence or vehicle registration cancelled until they pay up. Other offenders must perform community service work.

Jamie Partlic, now 20, of Cronulla in Sydney’s south, went to Long Bay Jail on November 7, 1987, to serve four days, for non-payment of traffic fines totalling $1197.

According to witnesses at the trial, Partlic was in the fine defaulters’ yard when he was approached by Difford and Stokes, who had been working out on a punching bag nearby.

There was apparently some conversation.

Witnesses said Mr Partlic’s comments were innocuous.

Both Stokes and Difford said Mr Partlic had spat on Stokes and had been behaving like a “smart arse”.

The prosecution alleged that Difford had begun the attack and that Stokes had continued it, punching and kicking Mr Partlic, then stamping on his head as he lay on the ground. Stokes had thrown him head-first into a fire hydrant and then jumped on him again. Finally, Stokes had lifted the then unconscious Mr Partlic and thrown him headlong on to the concrete.

The savage bashing left Mr Partlic comatose for four months with severe brain damage. He is still profoundly disabled, with little prospect of a complete recovery.

Both Stokes and Difford admitted they had been drinking “jail brew” at the time.