Activists parked a billboard saying ‘you will not silence our pain’ out the front of an elite Sydney private school after an ex-student avoided punishment for hitting a woman in the face.
Nick Drummond, 20, shamed a young woman during a night out on Sydney’s North Shore last December, telling her to ‘put your t**s away’ before striking her in the face. Drummond had coward-punched another man in the back of the head earlier that evening.
The kids’ soccer coach was sentenced by the NSW District Court for assault and destroying property earlier this month, with Judge Robert Sutherland finding the incidents were sparked by his ‘loose tongue and loose thoughts’ and alcohol use.
Judge Sutherland condemned his ‘lewd and completely inappropriate remark towards someone he didn’t know but whose dress might have been perceived by a former student of Knox to be provocative.’
The judge found Drummond’s actions were an aberration and it wasn’t ‘necessary’ for convictions to be recorded against him.
The decision has sparked a furious backlash – including prompting the women’s health start-up Ovira to send a message to Drummond and his female victim by parking the billboard outside his old school on Sunday.
Women’s health start-up Ovira parked a huge billboard out the front of Knox Grammar on Sunday in support of the female victim of a vicious attack from a former student
Nick Drummond pleaded guilty to assault and was granted a conditional release order with 14 months good behaviour eariler this month
Above is the outfit a judge described as ‘provocative’ before allowing Drummond to walk without conviction despite punching the woman in the face
‘We wanted to do something for her, we wanted a message of support to send to her,’ Ovira founder Alice Williams told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We’ve got your back and this is not OK. We see you and hope you know you have our support.’
Ms Williams said her company – which makes TENS machines – has a 12,000-strong Facebook group with employees and customers which discusses social issues.
‘Early last week we saw what the court did, we said: “This cant be true, surely they’re missing something’,” Ms Williams told Daily Mail Australia.
‘There’s no way this boy could have gotten off scot-free.’
The company decided to make a statement and send a public message to Drummond’s victim and other women who have been abused or assaulted.
‘Not only was she punched in the face, but the message it sends that you can do this and society won’t do anything about it,’ Ms Williams said.
The team initially had some more brazen ideas for the billboard – including showing some more graphic images, but in the end, they went for the simpler message of ‘You will not silence our pain’.
‘Early last week we saw what the court did, we said: ‘This cant be true, surely they’re missing something’,’ Ms Williams said. ‘There’s no way this boy could’ve got off scot-free’
The junior soccer coach and state-league player called his female victim a ‘s**t’ and told her to put her ‘t*ts away’, before telling her to ‘f*** off’ when she asked for an apology
Ms Williams said security guards at the school stood outside and took photos of them when they parked the billboard outside Knox
After parking the semitrailer, Ms Williams said security guards at the school stood outside and took pictures of them.
‘Heaps of people came up to us on the street. There were couples, families with children,’ she said.
‘It’s 2021, why is a man allowed to assault a woman and the judge is asking what she was wearing?
‘Whether it was provocative is redundant.’
She said they have a 12,000-strong Facebook group with employees and customers who talk about a variety of social issues, with Nick Drummond’s story a topic of conversation last week
Nick Drummond, 20, (pictured) told his victim to ‘put her t*** away’ before later smashing her in the face having previously coward punching a random stranger in the back of the head outside a bar
The man Drummond coward punched previously told Daily Mail Australia there was ‘no justice’ in the court’s decision to let him walk away without conviction.
Drummond had punched the fellow pubgoer in the back of the head at The Greengate Hotel in Killara last December after being kicked out of the venue.
The junior soccer coach and state-league player also called his female victim a ‘s**t’ and told her to put her ‘t*ts away’, before telling her to ‘f*** off’ when she asked for an apology.
She later approached and photographed Drummond at Chatswood’s Orchard Hotel, sparking a row over her phone.
Drummond then punched her in the face after she approached him again, knocking the 155cm woman to the ground and causing multiple injuries.
The male victim said he only realised what had happened when authorities showed him CCTV footage of the assault.
READ RELATED: Matt Hancock faces MISSING 100,000-a-day testing target TODAY
‘I had to go to the police station and watch it. He absolutely smashed me,’ the young man said.
‘Then later he punched the girl and ran away. That was terrible.’
Knox Grammar (pictured) graduate Nicholas Drummond has had his convictions erased after he allegedly punched a man and a woman in December last year
The young man, who like the woman said he’d never met Drummond, said he wasn’t even aware of the ex-Knox student until he was told to leave the Greengate.
‘I was standing in line for the bar, he was getting kicked out,’ he said.
The male victim said he had no idea what Drummond looked like until police showed him the vision.
The man, who has spoken to the female victim since a judge decided not to record any convictions for the ex-Knox thug, says there was ‘no justice’ given in the decision.
‘A judge decided it was more important to let him go than punish him. It’s a huge injustice,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘What does it teach people? That you can commit a crime, be found guilty but it be wiped away? It’s not justice.’
The male victim said he had no idea what Drummond looked like until police showed him CCTV, saying he coincidentally was at the Orchard (pictured) later that night but never crossed paths
The future of promising footballer future Nick Drummond (pictured) is hanging in the balance over his ‘appalling’ behaviour
The female victim said she was disheartened the judge referenced her outfit when handing down his ruling to not record convictions for the assaults.
She said the judge’s comments about her dress were damaging for young women.
‘I didn’t consider a long sleeve top and shorts provocative,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I went to a private school myself and none of my friends seem to be so offended by what I was wearing.
‘It’s a shame. I thought we were definitely progressing in society and women were being heard but clearly not.’
The victim said she was devastated at the judge’s ruling.
‘I’m extremely disappointed with the judge’s comment as I feel that what I was wearing shouldn’t have even been commented on,’ she said.
‘It made me feel as if his actions were almost justified.’
The young woman said had spoken to the other victim of Drummond’s unprovoked attacks at the Greengate Hotel (pictured) and both were ‘really frustrated’ with the court’s decision
Drummond pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and destroying property after his destructive, drunken night out on Sydney’s North Shore in December 2020.
The District Court was told the offender was overcome by regret soon after, threatening to kill himself and returning home ‘hysterical’ and sorrowful.
‘He was a shattered boy,’ his mother said.
Barrister Phillip Boulten SC said the case was ‘a bit unusual’ because the 20-year-old had ‘gone off the rails’ following a difficult 2020 in which his dog died, a relationship broke down and a family member fell ill.
He also sought out psychological help for emotional issues before the incident, the court was told.
‘It’s appropriate he be given one opportunity … an exceptional one, admittedly,’ Mr Boulten said.
Drummond raised concern the convictions would impact his Working with Children’s Check, which was ‘pivotal’ to his coaching.
‘I was brought up better and I know better… I know violence isn’t the answer especially not towards women,’ he said.
The appeal was opposed by the Crown, which said Drummond had already received a lenient sentence for serious offending involving public violence against a woman.
The judge accepted Drummond’s offending was an aberration and that it wasn’t ‘necessary’ for convictions to be recorded.
The judge left in place a conditional release order, mandating good behaviour for 14 months and told Drummond to thank his family and ‘your lucky stars’.
For 24/7 support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For any support with instances of violence or abuse call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).
Source:
