Man jailed for assaulting two teenage girls on Mardi Gras apologizes but blames victims

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A man jailed for punching two teenage girls in a Sydney park on Mardi Gras night accuses his victims of upset him, a Sydney court has heard.

Key points: Jesse Mackenzie is one of three men charged with the brawl. Mackenzie wrote an apology but maintained his victims had ‘antagonized’ him

Jesse Mackenzie was sentenced to 20 months in prison today after being filmed dragging one of the girls, 15, by the hair and throwing her over a ledge during the brawl in Pyrmont .

The 29-year-old was one of three men charged with the brawl and pleaded guilty to the brawl.

Police District Attorney Chris Manning told Central Local Court that in a letter of apology, dated this month, Mackenzie still blamed the victims and their associates for upsetting him.

He said video of the brawl showed continued behavior.

There were several opportunities for the accused to walk away, but he did not, he chose to stay and he chose to engage in these behaviors, Sgt. Manning said.

MacKenzie’s legal aid lawyer Tamara Grennan said the letter also acknowledged that the impact on victims would have been terrible.

She said MacKenzie was very drunk and that contributed significantly to her bad decisions.

He says he credited them with starting the fight, but he admits he shouldn’t have reacted the way he did, and his reactions were wrong, Ms Grennan said.

On sentencing, Magistrate Clare Farnan admitted that MacKenzie had led a somewhat troubled life and that his criminal record began when he was very young.

She also acknowledged her willingness to engage in rehab, but said her remorse was limited.

Ms Grennan told the court MacKenzie turned to alcoholism and drug addiction after losing her sister to suicide.

She argued that the time behind bars at MacKenzies has been more difficult than usual due to the significant media attention to her crime, which sparked a number of assaults.

Mr. Mackenzie found himself somewhat of a target in custody, she said.

The court had previously heard that MacKenzie, a former employee of Telstra in Double Bay, was subject to a two-year community correction order about a week before the incident.

The order concerned the assault of another woman last year.

One of his co-offenders, Hong Ben Lee, was issued a community correction order of two years and 150 hours of community service.

The third man charged with the brawl, William Shepley, will be sentenced later this month.

Mackenzie will be eligible for parole in January.

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