Official Scott Freestone

[Google News]

Ex-Shark sorry for finger biteThe Age, AustraliaEx-Gold Coast Seagulls and Cronulla Sharks player Scott Freestone, 44, awaits sentencing in the Southport District Court after pleading guilty to two counts of unlawful assault in November 2007. He admitted to biting off part of Peter McLaughlin's ...

Source: http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhqnews/exshark-sorry-for-finger-bite/2009/06/19/1244918178812.html

Ex-Shark sorry for finger bite
June 19, 2009 - 12:56PM
AAP

A former rugby league first grader says he's sorry for biting off part of a man's finger during an alcohol-fuelled pub brawl on the Gold Coast.

Ex-Gold Coast Seagulls and Cronulla Sharks player Scott Freestone, 44, awaits sentencing in the Southport District Court after pleading guilty to two counts of unlawful assault in November 2007.

He admitted to biting off part of Peter McLaughlin's middle finger during a melee outside the Coolangatta Sands Hotel.

It was the end result of more than a decade of bad blood between the pair who had sworn to steer clear of each other after another scuffle in 1994.

The two had met by chance at the pub and started bickering before the fight got physical.

McLaughlin's middle finger of his right hand was cleanly amputated through the bone and half a nail bitten off.

Freestone's lawyer, who asked for a non-custodial sentence for his client, told the court Freestone was extremely remorseful and he had since been diagnosed with depression.

Judge Fleur Kingham is expected to hand down her sentence later on Friday.

 

[Google News]

Footy star Scott Robert Freestone bit off man's finger

Footy star Scott Robert Freestone bit off man's fingerNEWS.com.au, AustraliaScott Robert Freestone, 44, who enjoyed NRL playing stints with the Gold Coast and Cronulla during the 80s and 90s, faced Southport District Court, pleading guilty to two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm for the injuries dished out to Peter ...

Source: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,27574,25659625-3102,00.html

Footy star Scott Robert Freestone bit off man's finger
Jeremy Pierce
June 19, 2009 12:00am

Scott Robert Freestone ... jailed for six months for biting off part of a man's finger.

AN ex-footy star who bit off part of a man's finger during a pub brawl has been jailed for six months even though prosecutors only asked for a suspended sentence.

Scott Robert Freestone, 44, who enjoyed NRL playing stints with the Gold Coast and Cronulla during the 80s and 90s, faced Southport District Court, pleading guilty to two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm for the injuries dished out to Peter McLaughlin during their stoush, which started in a Coolangatta pub but later reignited out on to the street.

Prosecutors asked only for a suspended sentence after learning Mr McLaughlin did not want to see Freestone's son Jack, a sponsored junior surfer, lose his father and sole carer to a jail sentence.

However, Judge Fleur Kingham viewed the matter as serious enough to warrant a term behind bars.

She sentenced Freestone to two years jail, but he will be eligible for parole in six months, with the rest of the term to be served via probation.

Defence barrister James McNabb said Freestone deeply regretted his actions, and only bit down on Mr McLaughlin's finger because he thought he was about to be eye-gouged.

 

[Google News]

Freestone jailed for bite - Gold Coast News

Freestone jailed for biteGold Coast News - goldcoast.com.au, AustraliaFORMER Seagulls rugby league player Scott Freestone has been jailed for two years after biting off the tip of another man's finger. Judge Fleur Kingham said the 43-year-old obviously `lost it' when he bit down so hard on the finger of Peter McLaughlin ...

Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/06/19/90431_gold-coast-top-story.html

Freestone jailed for bite
June 19, 2009 05:49pm
Renee Redmond

Scott Freestone, who was sentenced to two years in jail

FORMER Seagulls rugby league player Scott Freestone has been jailed for two years after biting off the tip of another man's finger.

Judge Fleur Kingham said the 43-year-old obviously `lost it' when he bit down so hard on the finger of Peter McLaughlin it went through skin and bone.

Southport District Court was told Freestone and McLaughlin got into an argument at the Coolangatta Sands Hotel after Melbourne Cup Day celebrations in 2007.

A `consensual' brawl ensued outside the hotel, where Freestone bit McLaughlin's middle finger, amputating half the tip and half the nail.

Freestone pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.

He was originally charged with grievous bodily harm but the charge was downgraded.

Freestone will be released on parole on December 19, after serving six months in jail.

 

[Google News]

Ex-league star jailed for finger bite

Ex-league star jailed for finger biteBrisbane Times, AustraliaPeter McLaughlin lost the tip of his middle finger and half his nail trying to ward off a flurry of punches by ex-Cronulla Sharks and Gold Coast Seagulls player Scott Freestone as they scuffled outside the Coolangatta Sands Hotel in 2007. ...

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/exleague-star-jailed-for-finger-bite-in-brawl-20090619-cnr8.html

Ex-league star jailed for finger bite in brawl
June 19, 2009 - 5:32PM
AAP

A former rugby league first-grader will spend at least six months in prison for biting off part of a man's finger during an alcohol-fuelled pub brawl.

Peter McLaughlin lost the tip of his middle finger and half his nail trying to ward off a flurry of punches by ex-Cronulla Sharks and Gold Coast Seagulls player Scott Freestone as they scuffled outside the Coolangatta Sands Hotel in 2007.

Doctors said 44-year-old Freestone had bitten Mr McLaughlin's finger clean through the bone, completely detaching part of the digit.

Freestone was handed a maximum two-year sentence in the Southport District Court today.

Judge Fleur Kingham rejected the prosecution's recommendation of a non-custodial sentence and McLaughlin's wishes that his attacker be set free.

She said similar cases of excessive force necessitated time behind bars.

The court heard Freestone was extremely remorseful, had lost his job and had been diagnosed with depression.

In sentencing submissions, his lawyer told the court Freestone no longer went to hotels or pubs and had suffered a public humiliation at the hands of the media.

But he acknowledged alcohol played a part in the attack, having downed six schooners of beer before running into Mr McLaughlin, who was at the hotel celebrating his brother's birthday.

The pair, who had sworn to steer clear of one another following another scuffle more than a decade ago, started bickering before the fight turned physical - ending with a melee that broke out on the street.

Freestone, who threw the first punch, said he'd been blinded by someone gouging his eyes when he felt another person's finger in his mouth and bit down hard.

Mr McLaughlin has since experienced numbness and flexing difficulties in his finger and had to give up his job as a labourer.

But despite his injuries, he asked the court not to jail Freestone, the father of two teenagers.

Judge Kingham took into account Freestone's extensive criminal history, including violent incidents in 1993 and 2006, and his guilty pleas to two counts of unlawful assault.

He will be eligible for parole before the end of the year.

 

[ROB SHARK]

was he a any good league player?

 

[fitz]

Junior footy... played for Brighton JRLFC - prolific try scorer at junior level

Sharks: Played 7 games off the bench between 1987-1989. Was only in the starting lineup once. Never scored in First Grade

Gold Coast: 1991, 1992 & 1994 - played 30 games - scored a handful of Tries.

Mostly a reserve grade player - played out in the Centres from what I can remember - we were pretty right back then for Centres!!!

Adequate, but nothing to write home about... Hardly "A Star"

 

[fancyman]

he played 8 first grade games, he played with renown united won a comp with them in 83,
he was a stgeorge junior, dont know how many games he played with stg,
but the papers should of said x stgeorge junior not sharks they couldnt help them selfs but to mention sharks.
and he mainly was a gold coast player.

 

[in:extremis]

How lame, sad, and boring that the media would turn this incident into something to do with the Sharks. Pathetic.

 

[slide rule]

yeah, I heard a news story where the emphasis was clearly on ex CRONULLA SHARKS PLAYER. Didnt bother to say that he played for us 20 years ago, or that he also played for a number of other clubs.


Oh well, I feel like I'm turning very bitter in my old age..


I couldnt even remember the bloke.

 

[ET19]

Yeah i remember him.. he went ok, just a fringe first grader and we certainly weren't his main club. Incredibly pathetic headline relating this to the Sharks again. Ahh, wouldnt we love to put the media on trial. It's just like Clint Elford- his headlines always have the word Sharks in them, when he actually donated 3 times more $ to lifeguards.

 

[WillyInBris]

Jesus we could be in more trouble!

You may see this Headline in the paper tomorrow.

A Port Macquarie Sharks Club Member last night allegedly took a piss allegedly in the dark and he didn't put the seat back down his wife was so incensed this morning she told him to make his own cup of coffee.

The neighbour of this Cronulla Shark member said that he is forever doing this and needs to be delt with harshly as possible. when asked how he new of this he said he didn't but he is a shark supporter so it must be true.

 

[Mark^Bastard]

was he a any good league player?

he had a bit of talent but had the tendency to bite off more than he could chew

 

[ROB SHARK]

he had a bit of talent but had the tendency to bite off more than he could chew

:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao

 

[Shark68]

I think he was a lock by memory

 

[Google News]

Ex-footballer Scott Freestone fail in appeal bidCourier MailIn June, Freestone, 44, who played NRL for the Gold Coast and Cronulla during the 1980s and 90s, was jailed for two years with fixed parole after six months ...

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26140413-3102,00.html&usg=AFQjCNEVge1K3w8ADvJUsndKqNT0iS7oIA

Former NRL player Scott Freestone bit man's finger off in brawl
Mark Oberhardt
September 29, 2009 10:00am

FORMER Cronulla Sharks rugby league player Scott Freestone will remain in jail after failing in his appeal against his sentence for biting off part of a man's finger during a brawl.

In June, Freestone, 44, who played NRL for the Gold Coast and Cronulla during the 1980s and 90s, was jailed for two years with fixed parole after six months, when he pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.

The District Court at Southport heard Freestone was involved in two incidents on Melbourne Cup day 2007, which started in a Coolangatta pub but later reignited out on to the street.

Freestone was alleged to have punched a man knocking him out as they drank inside the hotel.

Read the judgment here

The fight started again in the street and Freestone alleged he felt fingers go into his eyes and a finger in his mouth which he bit.

The court heard the bite was so hard the other man had a complete amputation of the tip of his finger.

The fight's background went back to the 1990s when Freeestone and the victim's family were all members of the same football club, the court heard.

Prosecutors asked for a suspended sentence after learning the victim did not want to see Freestone's son, a sponsored junior surfer, lose his father and sole carer to a jail sentence.

However, Judge Fleur Kingham viewed the matter as serious enough to warrant an actual term behind bars.

Freestone appealed on the grounds Judge Kingham was in error finding the biting occurred druing a consensual fight and to make Freestone serve an actual term in jail was excessive.

However, in an unanimous judgment, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

Justice Peter Applegarth said Judge Kingham was correct in finding courts could not be "overwhelmed" by a victim's view on sentence.

He said after all the circumstances were taken into account a six months term of actual jail was not excessive.

 

[Google News]

Finger biting keeps ex-footy star in jail

Finger biting keeps ex-footy star in jailThe AustralianEarlier this month lawyers for Freestone, who played professional rugby league with Cronulla and the Gold Coast in the `80s and `90s, argued in the Court of ...and more »

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26140588-5006786,00.html&usg=AFQjCNHhYxJYQKqWB4y6fWGXAJYbQiOuvA

Finger chomp keeps ex-footy star in jail
By Christine Flatley
September 29, 2009

A FORMER Cronulla and Gold Coast rugby league player who bit the tip off a man's finger during a pub brawl has been refused leave to appeal against his jail sentence.

Scott Robert Freestone was sentenced in June to two years' jail after pleading guilty in the Southport District Court to two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.

He was ordered to serve six months behind bars before being released on parole for the attack on Peter McLaughlin at a Coolangatta pub in November 2007.

During the sentencing hearing the court was told Freestone, 45, knocked Mr McLaughlin to the ground during an unprovoked attack and then later fought him again in the street.

It was during the second fight he bit off the tip of one of Mr McLaughlin's fingers.

Freestone claimed he bit Mr McLaughlin's finger off to avoid his eyes being gouged.

Earlier this month lawyers for Freestone, who played professional rugby league with Cronulla and the Gold Coast in the `80s and `90s, argued in the Court of Appeal in Brisbane that the six-month custodial sentence was "manifestly excessive''.

The Court of Appeal unanimously rejected this argument, ruling the sentencing judge had correctly regarded the bite as a "grossly excessive response in the circumstances''.

Leave to appeal against sentence was refused.

 

[peachey]

its the sharks fault..zappia put him up to it

i hear magnay is onto it, someone has to get the truth out
































:nodlaugh

 

[Mark^Bastard]

gotta point the finger at someone

 

[Gibs]

gotta point the finger at someone

/facepalm

 

[fitz]

"In my defence your Honour, the other guy did bite off half of three of my fingers and the whole of my thumb!"

"In my defence your Honour, the other guy did bite off half of three of my fingers and the whole of my thumb!"