"In my view a criminal conviction would have a severe and unwarranted impact on his reputation and consequently on his work."
But there are no excuses...............
.....except where it's my friend that did it and he helped me win money from David Leyonhjelm and he's a lobbyist and he works with me and a conviction would be really bad for him.
Federal Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young wrote a reference attesting to the "good character" of a long-time friend and lobbyist who slapped his wife and avoided a conviction in a Canberra court this week.
The man was charged with common assault in December last year after an incident at his home with his wife.
On Tuesday he appeared in the ACT Magistrate's Court where he pleaded guilty to the assault and received a good behaviour non-conviction order.
In the letter to the court, seen by the Herald, Ms Hanson-Young said her friend of 10 years was "one of the key people" who advised her to undertake her recent successful litigation against former Senator David Leyonhjelm after "years of hostile sexist bullying".
"It is true to say that without [his] care and advice over the past few years I would not have been as confident and supported in taking on the sexist and abusive behaviour I have been subjected to as a woman in the Australian parliament," she wrote.
According to court documents seen by the Herald, the man and his wife had engaged in a series of disagreements in the lead-up to an incident on December 23 last year, when both had "had a few drinks".
The facts state the man "grabbed" his partner and "started pushing her towards the couch".
She then "tried to hit" him while she was being pushed but was "overpowered". The man then "pushed" his wife onto the couch "in an attempt to stop her yelling", before he "slapped [her] with an open hand on the left side of the face".
Ms Hanson-Young, who has previously said there were "no excuses" for domestic violence and the assault of women, said she could not "reconcile the person I know as acting in any way criminally" and said she was confident it would not happen again.
"As someone who works in politics I understand precisely what reputation means in public life. In my view a criminal conviction would have a severe and unwarranted impact on his reputation and consequently on his work."
She said she had known the man for about ten years, "due to his policy work in the parliament", and "although of differing political philosophies" they had become close friends.
