A SEVERELY mentally ill man has been sentenced to eight months imprisonment following a series of offences, including unprovoked violence on a V/Line train.
The man repeatedly breached intervention orders in Rosedale, including one incident where he shook a screen door off its hinges and entered a house he was banned from visiting.
While travelling from Moe to Rosedale late last year, the man, who was allegedly intoxicated, fell asleep and missed his stop.
He then became violent, slapping two passengers and punching another when asked to calm down, before being arrested when the train stopped at Sale.
The man also allegedly punched a friend’s face during an argument over using the friend’s mobile phone, resulting in multiple fractures.
The magistrate said that while the man certainly needed help with his schizophrenia, the severity of the injuries he inflicted on his victims required a stay in prison.
“Having mental health issues doesn’t excuse this behaviour; a term of imprisonment is required,” she said
