STATE OF TASMANIA v TYRELL JORDAN WILLIAMS 5 NOVEMBER 2026
COMMENTS ON PASSING SENTENCE PEARCE J
Tyrell Willams, you plead guilty to assault and stealing. Around 3.30 pm on 25 October 2025 you were with your older brother, Aaron Willams, in Deloraine. Your brother saw the complainant, Jackson Coker Gough, sitting in the driver seat of his car in the car park of the supermarket, waiting for his partner. Your brother had history of antagonism to the complainant arising from a disputed sale of a motor vehicle and he confronted him. He ran to his car and tried to open the driver door, but the complainant drove off. He returned soon afterwards to collect his partner. He was so concerned about what might happen that he phoned the police from where he was waiting at the front of the store.
His concern was justified because you and your brother went back looking for him. When you saw him, you ran after him from some distance away. You caught up with him immediately outside the supermarket entrance. There were many people around. The complainant was trying to get away from you, but you grabbed him with two arms from behind, lifted him off the ground and violently dumped him onto the hard surface of the footpath. It was a dangerous assault because, as you had his arms, he could not protect himself from the fall. He landed very hard on his side. He was immediately incapacitated and in no position to defend himself, but as you walked away you kicked his head and left him on the ground. You walked off with the Stanley knife which had fallen from his pocket and threw it over a nearby fence. Your brother stole the complainant’s wallet and phone and also threw those over the fence, but you are not criminally responsible for that theft. The complainant managed to get up and tried to follow you to retrieve his belongings, but you were gone.
As a result of the assault the complainant suffered a serious injury to the ligaments of his right shoulder. He had swelling and bruising to the right side of his forehead and a headache. He was discharged from hospital the same day. The police found the knife and returned it to him.
You have no relevant prior convictions. You were originally charged with an even more serious crime and pleaded guilty soon after these charges were substituted. You were 21 at the time and are now 22. You are still a young person for sentencing purposes, and your rehabilitation assumes greater significance. You were brought up in the Deloraine area. As a result of family and personal issues you dropped out of school, but you were able to join the Navy. Regrettably, after having served for two years, you were medically discharged in 2024 with chronic schizophrenia. You required a period of hospital admission in Victoria in May 2024 but since then you have returned home and been treated in Tasmania. Your treatment for this psychotic illness has been with medication and engagement with community services and your general practitioner. I have a report from forensic psychologist, Dr Georgina O’Donnell. Dr O’Donnell reports that in September 2025, only a month or so before this assault, you commenced monthly depot injections, anti-psychotic medication, and were having trouble adjusting to the effect. You were not sleeping, feeling increased agitation and irritability and overwhelmed by family stressors. This led, according to Dr O’Donnell, to a heightened risk of aggressive behaviour. In her opinion that causally contributed to your criminal conduct. In addition, you are at heightened risk of mental health deterioration and suicide in custody. You are an Aboriginal man. None of Dr O’Donnell’s opinions are challenged and I accept them as relevant to sentence.
None of that, of course, lessens the impact on the complainant. It was put on your behalf that you became involved at the instigation of your older brother, but it was your responsibility to act lawfully. You pursued the complainant and threw him to the ground in a highly dangerous and forceful way. The kick to his head was gratuitously violent and it is very fortunate it did not do even more damage. He was, nevertheless, seriously injured. His victim impact statement describes the extensive effect that his shoulder injury has had on him, physically, financially and psychologically. He was unable to do his work and lost his job. He is less able to help at home and his family is affected. He cannot afford the type of medical treatment he requires.
Public violence of this nature is a matter of considerable public concern. This was a very public example. It was unprovoked and resulted in injury. The Court needs to make clear to you and others that such offences will not be tolerated. For those reasons, notwithstanding your relative youth, mental health conditions and absence of prior convictions, the seriousness of this assault must be marked with a sentence of imprisonment. You have been assessed as unsuitable for community service. However, I will suspend the term I am about to impose to allow you the opportunity to avoid having to actually serve any of the sentence. You should clearly understand that if you commit another offence like this again, it is very likely that you will go to prison.
You are convicted on the indictment, counts 1 and 2. You are sentenced to imprisonment for six months, wholly suspended for 18 months from today on the following conditions:
- You are not to commit another offence punishable by imprisonment during that period. If you breach that condition you will be required to serve the term unless that is unjust.
- During the 18 month operational period of the order, commencing today, you will be subject to the supervision of a probation officer. The conditions referred to in s 24(5B) of the Sentencing Act apply to this condition and will be set out in the order you will be given. These include that you must report to a probation officer at the office of Community Corrections in Launceston within three clear working days, you must submit to supervision and comply with the directions given by your probation officer, you must not leave Tasmania without permission and you must notify of any change of address.
- In addition to the core conditions, the order will also include the special condition that you must, during the operational period of the order, attend educational and other programs, undergo assessment and treatment for alcohol or drug dependency, submit to testing for alcohol or drug use and submit to medical, psychological or psychiatric assessment or treatment as directed by a probation officer.