Was goaled for two years for assaulting 82 year old WWII Digger Earnest Evens (inset).
Cowie's charming girlfriend Tracey Prater was acquitted of charges relating to the incident.
In Sutherland Local Court this afternoon, Cowie was sentenced to two years in prison, with a minimum sentence of 15 months. He will be eligible for parole in April 2011...
Witnesses said Cowie punched Mr Evans at least three times after his request for 50 cents was refused, knocking him to the ground, Sutherland Local Court heard today.
Surely the penalty for the cowardly assault of a man of that age would have to be at the upper end of the scale - assault occasioning actual bodily harm is punishable by 7 years imprisionment in NSW.
It isn't as though the guy is contributing to society:
The court heard Cowie was already serving a 12 month jail term for threatening to kill airport security staff. He was due for release in January 2010.
Or as though he showed any remorse:
Cowie claimed he had been acting in self defence because Mr Evans had waved his walking stick at him and told him to get a job. He said Mr Evans attacked him first.
Or told the truth:
But Magistrate Clare Farnan said neither of the witnesses supported Cowie's version of events.
One said she had not seen Mr Evans throw any punches and the other said he had only thrown one, after he had been hit.
"He was quite impressed when he saw the older man hit the younger man in trying to defend himself," Ms Farnan said.
She did not accept Cowie's claim of self defence.
"A reasonable person in the position of Mr Cowie, confronted by an elderly person waving a walking stick would walk away," Ms Farnan said.
The manifestly inadequite sentence here isn't a failure of the law however - it is a failure of the Judge.
At least Cowie was unimpressed:
As he left the dock, Cowie said "that's f---ing bullshit'', and grabbed his girlfriend's hand before security moved him out of the courtroom.
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