Sewell, 29, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday the place he was discovered responsible of recklessly inflicting harm and affray over a March 2021 altercation exterior Nine’s Melbourne headquarters.
After two days of contested hearings final week, Justice of the Peace Stephen Ballek requested Sewell to face in court docket as he delivered his verdict and dismissed Sewell’s arguments of self-defence.
“I find you, Thomas Sewell, guilty,” he mentioned.
Ballek mentioned Sewell was “itching for a fight” when he visited Nine Network’s constructing on March 1 with a cameraman and demanded to talk to somebody from A Current Affair.
He claimed ACA’s section on him that night confirmed his group to be a terrorist organisation and mentioned this system had not contacted him for remark.
After A Current Affair workers declined to satisfy with Sewell, his cameraman Jacob Hersant started filming Sewell contained in the lobby.
A safety guard walked over, positioned his hand over the digital camera lens and informed the pair to cease filming, directing them to an space out the entrance of the constructing.
The pair finally agreed to go exterior, however the guard adopted them after they began filming close to the door.
They lastly listened to the person’s instructions and moved additional away.
The guard then started making a dancing-type movement to the digital camera.
Hersant taunted and mocked the guard, saying: “Dance monkey, dance”.
The guard informed him “watch yourself bro, I’m not a dance monkey” and touched Hersant on his shoulder, in an effort to push him backwards, earlier than Sewell leapt in and commenced attacking the guard.
The Justice of the Peace mentioned the guard had no time to react when Sewell started punching him within the head.
The “force and repetition” of the punches induced the guard to fall backwards and hit his head on the concrete, Ballek discovered.
He rejected Sewell and Hersant’s proof, which included that the guard had grabbed Hersant by the throat and Sewell had overwhelmed the guard in an effort to defend his pal and himself.
“It seems to me that the very second you perceive any physical contact from [the guard] on Hersant, you leapt in with sustained and unjustified violence,” Ballek mentioned.
“The video evidence graphically shows the disturbing nature of a strong man brutally punching an unsuspecting victim in the face, such that he falls backwards and strikes his head on the pavement.”
An different assault cost was thrown out after Ballek discovered prosecutors had efficiently confirmed recklessly inflicting harm.
Sewell, who stays on bail, is dealing with as much as two years in jail. He will return to court docket on January 12 for a pre-sentence listening to.
