STRING OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENCES LEADS TO PRISON
James Timothy John Rogers was convicted in two separate court cases of multiple assaults, including 10 counts against his then girlfriend and an attack on a police officer on New Year’s Day 2023.During the trial involving the police officer, evidence came to light that Rogers had also engaged in domestic violence against his partner, leading to a separate trial after he was charged with and denied 11 counts of such offences.
He was ultimately found not guilty on one of those counts.
The trial related to the police assault took place in 2023, while the domestic violence case was heard this year.
Concerning the domestic violence case, it was noted that the offences were aggravated because Rogers committed them while on bail following the New Year’s Day incident.
Judge Gary Perry stated that the violence spanned a three-month period, during which Rogers was involved in actions such as choking the victim, submerging her underwater, biting her, and exhibiting coercive and controlling behaviour.
The initial incident occurred shortly before 1 a.m.
on January 1, 2023, when police stopped a car on St Julians Avenue for a breath test.
The driver, found over the legal alcohol limit, was among six passengers, including Rogers’ family members, Crown Advocate Fiona Russell explained.
Rogers arrived soon after and approached the scene with his sleeves rolled up, demanding to know what was happening.
He shouted and swore at officers before walking away, then returned to hurl more abuse.
Officers then followed him, despite attempts by family members to intervene, and arrested him for disorderly conduct, bringing him to the ground.
Bodycam footage shown in court depicted Rogers freeing an arm while on the ground and forcefully punching an officer in the face.
In interviews, Rogers apologized but claimed he acted in self-defence, alleging police used excessive force.
Defence lawyer Paul Lockwood argued that Rogers was accepting the fact that he would face prison, citing his mental health diagnoses including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder, urging the judge to consider these significant issues.
Rogers had committed to engaging with support services in the future.
Judge Perry acknowledged these mitigating factors as genuine but emphasized Rogers’ lengthy criminal history, describing him as “a violent man.” The judge highlighted the seriousness of the assault on the police officer and detailed the domestic violence pattern, which included incidents during appointments with probation and demonstrated a toxic relationship.
Rogers maintained his innocence throughout.
The judge sentenced Rogers to five months for assaulting the police officer and two years for domestic violence, with both sentences to be served consecutively.
A separate one-month sentence for disorderly conduct will run concurrently.
