SA:Mutual abuse in SA footballer case: court

AAP General News (Australia)
12-19-2011
SA:Mutual abuse in SA footballer case: court

ADELAIDE, Dec 19 AAP - Former AFL footballer Fabian Francis, found guilty of assaulting
his former wife, had a toxic relationship with her, a court has heard.

Francis, a former Port Adelaide player, of Greenwith in Adelaide's north, has been
found guilty of 20 abuse-related crimes against Debra Buckskin between 1998 and 2008.

During his trial the prosecutor said Ms Buckskin had endured years of abuse at the
hands of her jealous, controlling and cruel husband.

Francis was found guilty by a jury of one count of assault occasioning actual bodily
harm, five counts of aggravated threatening to cause harm and two counts of aggravated
assault.

In sentencing submissions at the Adelaide District Court on Monday, defence counsel
David Stokes said the abuse had been two-sided.

"Both were extremely jealous of each other, both were abusive verbally to each other.

The relationship was vitriolic," Mr Stokes said.

Prosecutor Mark Norman said the footballer deserved jail time and any violence by Ms
Buckskin towards Francis had been in self-defence.

She had no responsibility for the violence and she was not at fault, he said.

Mr Norman said Francis had blackened Ms Buckskin's eyes, bruised her body, broken her
teeth, threatened her with an axe and forced soil into her mouth.

But defence witnesses said Ms Buckskin had abused and hit Francis, allegedly punching
his teeth out and had "fixed him up" with a golf club after she suspected him of affairs.

Francis is on bail and will be sentenced on January 25.

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KEYWORD: LEGAL: FRANCIS

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