By Charles Layton
This is Ocean Grove, Australia we’re talking about.
Once in a while, when things are slow, I like to call up my favorite newspaper, The Geelong Advertiser, to check on our sister city “down under.”
On Wednesday, I read this:
An Ocean Grove man threatened to kill his girlfriend, cut off her feet and send them to the police, a court has been told.
The article went on to say that Benson Virgona, 32, choked the woman and threw her around “like a ragdoll,” threatened to burn her house down, and said some other unpleasant things. Later, before a judge in Geelong County Court, he blamed his behavior on “mood swings and aggression.” (You think?)
This wasn’t Virgona’s first run-in with the law. He had been jailed for thefts committed while he was on a suspended sentence for a double stabbing, and previous to that, said the article, he had served time “for armed robbery with a tomahawk.”
Benson Virgona, a mean man with a tomahawk. Photo from The Geelong Advertiser
Looks like Australia has the same criminal justice system that we do. A no goodnik like this guy is free to commit multiple crimes.
We just returned from a 5 week visit to Australia, and with much effort finally got to see Ocean Grove. Located a short distance from Melbourne and at the start of The Great Ocean Road, it has the same “feel” as “our” Ocean Grove. From the beach the land elevates quite rapidly and most homes have water views and cool breezes, hence eliminating the need for a “flair.” I’m guessing, though, that Mr Benson walked over from Asbury Park!