In a shameful display this week, Judge Joseph Moore upheld Matthew Newton\'s appeal against a criminal conviction for aggravated assault against former girlfriend Brooke Satchwell. Apparently Newton\'s expectation of the consequences of pleading guilty to \'pushing\' and \'punching\' Satchwell didn\'t include any discernable kind of punishment. We can only wonder if the hefty weight of Newton\'s pedigree had anything to do with the decision. After all, old Bert said himself (of the conviction), \"We have always loved our son, admired him and believed in him. It\'s great news.\" What\'s not great news is that Newton\'s conviction was quashed on appeal because his lawyers argued it would hinder his chances of gaining employment overseas. Here\'s a hint Matt - if you want the legal right to work overseas, DON\'T PUNCH YOUR GIRLFRIEND IN THE FACE. The case from start to finish has stunk of the wafting privilege that comes from being part of one of Australia\'s most prominent families. Judge Joseph Moore thinks that \"[Newton] has suffered severe shame personally, and he feels remorse for the attention he has brought on his family and friends.\" Again, rather than feeling remorse for any embarrassment caused, Newton might express remorse for PUNCHING HIS GIRLFRIEND IN THE FACE. I think we\'ve all learned something here today, and that\'s that you can get away with domestic violence in Australia if: a) you\'re a celebrity b) you say you were depressed at the time c) you score a judge who happens to think that a bit of embarrassment is punishment enough - FOR PUNCHING YOUR GIRLFRIEND IN THE FACE There\'s nothing we can do legally to punish Newton now, but hopefully this petition will go some way to indicating how we feel about the shameful disregard for the severity of his crime, and the wider implications it has for victims of domestic violence. If Judge Joseph Moore won\'t do his job properly, we\'ll just have to conduct a good old fashioned public shaming. Hurry up trying to score that work overseas Matthew - Dumbledore knows we don\'t want a bar of you in this country anymore. DON\'T FORGET TO FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW SO AS MANY OF US AS POSSIBLE CAN TELL NEWTON AND HIS CRONIES WHAT WE THINK OF THEM!

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