Greg Bird charged and released by Sharks

[Twigg]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=644240

Bird could face more charges: court

14:11 AEST Thu Oct 9 2008

Police intend to lay more charges against Greg Bird.

NRL star Greg Bird may face more charges over the alleged glassing of girlfriend Katie Milligan, while others may be dropped, a Sydney court has heard.


The Cronulla Sharks, Australia and NSW five-eighth was charged with one count of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm after allegedly glassing Ms Milligan in the face on August 24 at his Cronulla apartment, in Sydney's south.

Police last month indicated two more charges would be laid against Bird over the incident - public mischief and false accusation.

They stem from the rugby league international's alleged attempt to get his flatmate Brent Watson to take the blame for the attack.

In Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, police prosecutor Peter Stanhope said police intended to lay a charge of reckless wounding against Bird.

However, the charge of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm could be dropped.

Mr Stanhope called for an adjournment of the hearing, saying a police brief against Bird had yet to be completed.

The brief would contain alleged text messages between Bird and a witness critical to the charge of false accusation, he said.

Magistrate Graeme Henson adjourned the hearing to November 20 but told police any new charges against Bird had to be filed by November 6.

Mr Henson also declined an application to modify an apprehended violence order placed against Bird by police.

Police took out the order following the alleged glassing incident.
Under the terms of the interim order Bird, 24, is prohibited from making contact with Ms Milligan.

Mr Henson said there was a lack of change in the circumstances surrounding the details of the order.

"It is not an appropriate case. I decline to entertain the application," he said.

In a brief statement outside court, Bird said he loved his girlfriend and denied all the allegations.

"I strongly deny the allegations that have been made against me," he told reporters.

"I love my girlfriend. I never hurt her, and never would I ever hurt her."

 

[Pumba]

Just watching a video clip on Ninemsn (http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=644240). When he was walking out he said "Watch my baby brother, jesus christ". Why the f**k would you have your baby brother I am talking bout 4 or 5 by the looks walking out with you or even at court with you when you know you are going to get swammed by media!

Dickhead.

 

[warren]

Just watching a video clip on Ninemsn (http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=644240). When he was walking out he said "Watch my baby brother, jesus christ". Why the f**k would you have your baby brother I am talking bout 4 or 5 by the looks walking out with you or even at court with you when you know you are going to get swammed by media!

Dickhead.

i guess he was just assuming that people would be decent enough to not ambush a little boy

 

[no name]

i guess he was just assuming that people would be decent enough to not ambush a little boy

Or he thought 'if i take my brother i can have an excuse to tell the media to f*ck off.'

 

[God-King Dean]

"I love my girlfriend. I never hurt her, and never would I ever hurt her."

lol.

 

[warren]

Or he thought 'if i take my brother i can have an excuse to tell the media to f*ck off.'

thats a good reason too

 

[Pumba]

Or he thought 'if i take my brother i can have an excuse to tell the media to f*ck off.'

Thats more like it.

 

[bartman]

So does the potential shift to a reckless wounding charge mean it's now considered more consensual wounding gone wrong?

By downgrading the charge they are more likely to get a charge that sticks, or suits the evidence that is available. Would be interesting to see how much of the penalties outlined by t1tan above are handed down with a guilty verdict.

I still reckon he's as good as gone from the Sharks without an innocent verdict.

 

[[furrycat]]

Its not based on intent to injure as much as GBH. Its more of less doing something where it is foreseeable an injury could be caused, but you were not intentionally attempting to harm a person. (ie. he threw the glass in rage, threw it in the wrong direction and hit her). Considerably less maximum sentence for it .

 

[bartman]

Or some type of sexual accident...

Still think he dug his own grave Sharks-wise with the events leading to the public mischief and false accusation stuff. Unless he is returned innocent of them Zappia will take action, and good on him.

 

[mik01]

So does the potential shift to a reckless wounding charge mean it's now considered more consensual wounding gone wrong?

By downgrading the charge they are more likely to get a charge that sticks, or suits the evidence that is available. Would be interesting to see how much of the penalties outlined by t1tan above are handed down with a guilty verdict.

I still reckon he's as good as gone from the Sharks without an innocent verdict.

the game is all about the most appropriate charge that they can hope to gain a conviction over. ie the facts and circumstances don't support a reasonable chance of conviction of GBH - but very real possibility of a guilty verdict over recklessy wounding her.

I guess as she won't testify against him, the case would be mostly circumstantial and GBH would be near impossible to convict him on.

I hope he gets whats coming, but I fear a jury will end up confused and he will only be found guilty of the lesser charges relating to false accusation and public mischief. he will get a slap on the wrist, his manager and the Sharks will claim he's been 'cleared' and he will go back to playing NRL.

time will tell I guess

 

[Holla if ya hear me]

Reported on morning show that greg bird has escaped the charge of glassing and charged with a much lesser charge...FFS how stupid do the courts think people are
Doesnt matter i guess...Sharks havent told him to come back to pre season training....Speculate all youd like bout it..stinks to high heaven of a cover up

 

[Bobby DIGital]

His Mrs is a doormat.

 

[KiWi_BoI_15]

Yanks...

 

[Bulldog Force]

Reported on morning show that greg bird has escaped the charge of glassing and charged with a much lesser charge...FFS how stupid do the courts think people are
Doesnt matter i guess...Sharks havent told him to come back to pre season training....Speculate all youd like bout it..stinks to high heaven of a cover up

It helps when your gf tries to get an AVO dropped :roll:

 

[Pierced Soul]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...n-two-in-a-push/2008/10/09/1223145541965.html

Bird in hand worth more than two in a push

Get a grip... Greg Bird at the court yesterday holding his brother Bayden and accompanies by his sister and baby brother Riley.
Photo: Nick Moir

Advertisement

Damien Murphy and Bellinda Kontominas
October 10, 2008


THE Cronulla Sharks footballer Greg Bird became the latest celebrity in trouble to use children as props against public shame when he appeared at Downing Centre Local Court yesterday.
It was all Kids 'R Us with Bird arriving gripping his toddler brother Bayden's hand as he faced a lesser charge of allegedly recklessly wounding his girlfriend Katie Milligan, after Sydney police indicated they would drop the charge of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Meanwhile, with 18 members of the media recording the scene, an uncle yelled and pushed at photographers telling them to "go away" and make room for Bird's sister, who held their baby brother, Riley, in her arms. She too yelled, accusing her tormenters of "attacking" her little brother as she stood in the eye of the media scrum.

"Watch out I have a baby here," she wailed.
Obviously the Birds had not read the High Court of Australia's helpful court protocols and rules of entry which stipulate: "Without exception, young children should not accompany you and your witnesses, family, or friends to court … attending court is not a social function, but a serious occasion and some young children will find certain court formalities distressing."

Bird was charged after Ms Milligan, 24, an American law student, ended up in hospital after an incident at his Cronulla apartment on August 24. She suffered cuts and a fractured eye socket after allegedly being hit in the face with a glass.
Bird's lawyer, Les Nicholls, asked the court to vary his bail conditions and the conditions of an apprehended violence order taken out by police, but the chief magistrate Graham Henson refused the application.

In allowing little children to suffer, Bird followed in the footsteps of dirty-dancing Labor MP Matt Brown who first sheltered behind his hapless niece Ruby and then his son, Isaac, after the new Premier, Nathan Rees, dropped him from the ministry after he had lied about his behaviour at a budget night parliamentary party.

However, even the Premier is not above press-ganging children into action. Witness the first photographs of his newly sworn-in cabinet last month where many ministers chose to pose nursing or holding their offspring.

Spin doctor Peter Wilkinson, of Wilkinson Media, said children were often exploited to influence the public's perception, but it was a gamble that sometimes did not pay off.
"See the child, judge the parent," he said. "As to whether the use of children can win over or turn people off, it depends on how people perceive the motivation behind pushing kids into the public arena."
The use of children as deflectors is a relatively new phenomenon in Australia but appears to have started in December 2003 when the then Australian Democrats leader (but not for long) Andrew Bartlett hid behind daughter Lillith to explain to journalists why he stole wine, manhandled a South Australian Liberal senator, the late Jeannie Ferris, and then swore at her.
Children have long been used to attract attention to a cause or reinforce a parent's credentials.
In recent months the late Steve Irwin's daughter, Bindi, has been losing friends in far north Queensland but winning them down south by publicly opposing a bauxite mine on Cape York.
The then Liberal leader John Hewson's gamble to humanise himself on 60 Minutes in 1990 blew up in his face when his oldest son Tim revealed: "He put his career before us. We came second".

----------------

grade A tool. didnt the sister come out and blame rugby league for birds actions saying he shouldnt have been taken away as a teenager or soemthing?

 

[God-King Dean]

Bird is the ultimate dumb footballer.

 

[The Dodger]

one charge gone. two to go.

 

[t1tan]

How bloody ridiculous,using small children as shields.
The whole thing looks like one big publicity stunt.

 

[Charlie124]

How bloody ridiculous,using small children as shields.
The whole thing looks like one big publicity stunt.

I agree, if you're going to use a child as a shield you need to get yourself one of those really fat kids, they're the best. Using that little thing is just a waste of time and makes a mockery of the whole use of child shields.