AN ice-affected man who committed a violent and terrifying attack on a young, vulnerable female was jailed for eight years and four months for "very serious aggravated, armed robbery".
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Justice Robert Pearce on Monday read details of two previous cowardly attacks on women by Michael John Cowie, 38, in 2012 and 2016 in his sentencing comments.
Protection of the public from the brutal Cowie was a major factor.
Cowie pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated armed robbery while armed with a knife or scissors and causing bodily harm to Elyse Emma Gall in Launceston on September 20, 2020.
Ms Gall was working alone at Juice Bar Fifty Five when the drug addict entered about 4.15pm on a Sunday afternoon - just two months after he was released from Risdon Prison.
The court heard in May that Ms Gall weighed just 53 kilograms at the time.
Justice Pearce said Cowie asked for a pen and paper before lunging at her punching and stabbing her in the face.
"You threatened to kill her and threw her in a storeroom," Justice Pearce said.
He said the victim had no clear memory of the incident because of the heavy blows.
After the attack he used scissors to lever open the till and escaped with $150, an $1500 Apple iPad and also took Ms Gall's car keys and stole her Hyundai Getz.
The court heard that the first witness to arrive saw a woman screaming with a large cut that was bleeding heavily and whose face was swollen on both sides.
Justice Pearce detailed the horrific injuries which required Ms Gall to spend more than three weeks in hospital.
"Her left lower jaw was broken, nose fractured, her face badly bruised and swollen, there was a deep laceration to her right cheek and left ear," he said.
She had multiple bruises to her right and left elbows and bruising and abrasions to her legs.
She required plastic surgery and required two teeth to be removed.
A brain bleed developed shortly after hospitalisation, which required transfer to the Royal Hobart Hospital intensive care unit.
"The crime has had a profound impact and was also highly traumatic for her parents," Justice Pearce said.
He said she had a moderate to severe brain injury which was described as a brain fog.
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There were also long-lasting effects such as scarring and post-traumatic stress disorder which made her socially withdrawn and hypervigilant.
Justice Pearce said an application from the Crown that Cowie be classified as a dangerous criminal, allowing indefinite jail, had not proceeded.
He said a forensic psychiatrists report had found Cowie had no mental illness and had no psychopathy.
He said drugs, in particular methylamphetamine, was the problem.
"You use violence to access funds to fund your drug abuse," Justice Pearce said.
"You are to be sentenced for a grave crime ... a violent and terrifying attack on a young vulnerable female.
"The nature and extent of the violence is especially troubling.
"You stabbed her in the face in a completely unnecessary way that was inflicted with intent to cause serious injury."
He received eight years' jail for aggravated armed robbery and four months for motor vehicle stealing and theft, and was disqualified from driving for two years from release.
The sentence was backdated to January 21 this year.
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