Former UNE Vice Chancellor Brigid Heywood was finally convicted yesterday but avoided a record, while Tamworth Regional Councillor Mark Rodda was charged with vandalism.
Brigid Heywood, 68, was due to face a week-long hearing for common assault and offensive behaviour this week, but in a bargain with prosecutors, Heywood pleaded guilty to the lesser offence on Monday and the prosecution withdrew the assault charge.
Her defence sought for the outcome of the case to be suppressed, preventing any publication for a year, however, Magistrate Michael Holmes declined the request. He did grant a section 10 dismissal, meaning there would be no criminal record.
The charges stemmed from an incident in which Ms Heywood was a guest speaker at an International Women’s Day event in Armidale in March, 2022.
A 15-year-old girl who was also attending the event had a photo taken with the then-vice chancellor along with some fellow students. While the student was talking about her experience as a person of colour, Ms Heywood said to the girl: “Oh really, I didn’t realise you were brown”, then licked her finger and wiped it on the girl’s face.
Defence barrister Simon Buchen SC tendered expert medical evidence detailing his client’s severe mental health difficulties since the case had been before the court, and read an apology letter penned by Ms Heywood.
“I was shocked when informed my brief interaction with this student caused her distress,” Ms Heywood said in the letter.
“I’ve reflected on all of this every day since,” she wrote.
“I’ve lost my career, my professional reputation and a job I dearly loved after some 40 years of being involved in higher education and regional economic development.”
Mr Buchan said the offence could be summed up as “a momentary and bizarre and inconceivable lapse” which was out of character. A summation that would have been easily challenged if there was a hearing, given the incident as barely six months after another incident in which video emerged of Heywood following another young woman around Woolworths, verbally abusing her for not wearing a mask during Covid restrictions.
Staff of UNE told New England Times they were relieved the three year saga was over, but the damage done by Heywood during her tenure was still causing distress on campus.
Also in legal affairs yesterday, outspoken Tamworth Regional Councillor Mark Rodda, currently under investigation by the Office of Local Government for Facebook comments attacking Council staff that were in breach of the Code of Conduct, has now been charged with vandalising a business operated by the Central Hospitality Goup in the Bourke Street in the Tamworth CBD.
Mark Rodda will face court on June 23rd accused of graffitiing the local business, with his actions allegedly captured on CCTV.
Jye Segboer from the Central Hospitality Group said they were “shocked and saddened by the ugliness of the attack”.
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