Minister sought harsher sentence for Yanner
02.12.1999
MINES Minister Tony McGrady has confirmed he wrote to the Attorney-General asking him to appeal against a sentence received by Aboriginal activist Murrandoo Yanner.
Mr McGrady said members of the local Aboriginal community asked for the appeal because they considered the sentence for assault was too light.
``I've had similar requests in the past in my 10 years as a Member of Parliament on a number of issues,'' he said. ``I simply passed on concerns expressed to me by prominent Aboriginal people.''
Mr Yanner said he had heard Mr McGrady had initiated the appeal. He said that was the reason he refused to negotiate with him at Doomadgee Airport last week over the evacuation of medical staff from the Doomadgee hospital.
Mr McGrady, whose electorate covers the area, was not allowed into the town.
The Court of Appeal yesterday reserved judgment on the Attorney-General's appeal against Mr Yanner's sentence.
Yanner, 27, was placed on probation and ordered to do community service for four charges of assault occasioning bodily harm.
The Attorney-General also appealed against a non-custodial sentence given to Yanner's brother, Bruce Lee Yanner, 21, on a joint charge of assault.
The charges arose out of incidents in March 1997 outside a hotel in Burketown in far north-western Queensland.
Mt Isa District Court was told the publican accused Bruce Yanner of being involved in a break-in at the hotel. The court was told Bruce returned to the hotel with Murrandoo where over a ``prolonged period of up to 40 minutes'' four people were assaulted -- the publican, his wife, a male nurse and a Telstra worker. The Yanners pleaded guilty.
Barrister Leanne Clare, for the Attorney-General, said the original orders were ``so far removed from proper sentences'' they had to be overturned.
