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Ex-NRL Referee Gavin Morris Given Suspended Sentence for Assaults on Indigenous Students

The judge called the conduct a grave breach of trust, citing rehabilitation in opting for a suspended term.

Overview

  • Morris was sentenced to 18 months in prison, fully suspended for two years on a good-behaviour condition.
  • He was found guilty in October of four aggravated assault counts after a trial in Alice Springs Local Court.
  • Evidence detailed choke holds and painful ear twisting of boys aged about 8 to 13, including a headlock that restricted a 12-year-old’s breathing.
  • Witnesses reported Morris used racial slurs toward students, with the court hearing he called them “little black c***s” and “black dogs.”
  • Judge Anthony Hopkins noted a lack of remorse and said the convictions will likely end Morris’s child-related work prospects, while Morris is appealing the guilty verdicts.