Gregory Geason: Supreme Court Justice to be sentenced for assault, emotional abuse of partner
A Supreme Court justice who assaulted and emotionally abused his then-partner, partly by tracking her movements, is due to learn his punishment.
Tasmania Justice Gregory Geason on Tuesday signalled his intention to resign after being found guilty in October of assault and one count of emotional abuse or intimidation.
Geason, who pleaded not guilty to the charges and faced a hearing, was found to have grabbed, shaken and pushed the woman at a Hobart home in October 2023.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.She fell backwards and hit her head on a mantelpiece, causing bruising and concussion.
He was also found to have tracked her movements and was verbally abusive, aggressive and jealous.
Geason has been on leave with pay since being charged in December — a move by Tasmania’s parliament to suspend him was aborted because of constitutional worries.
He is expected to be sentenced in Hobart Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Geason’s lawyer Fabiano Cangelosi told the court on Tuesday his client intended to resign and considered he no longer had the moral authority to continue serving as a judge.
The 63-year-old had limited job prospects, had “lost everything” and was living a reclusive life, Mr Cangelosi said.
“The destruction of his public image and professional life is total,” he said.
Magistrate Susan Wakeling previously found the woman to be a truthful witness and ruled Geason’s version of the assault, in which he said she tripped, to be implausible.
The woman told the court she spent months in hospital after the assault and was unable to work for eight months.
She has since installed cameras around her home and was often “looking over her shoulder”, she said in a statement to the court via video link.
Director of public prosecutions Daryl Coates said a jail sentence, either enforced or suspended, should be considered.
Geason, who became a Supreme Court justice in 2017, previously gave a written undertaking to not undertake any duties of a judge while the criminal proceedings were ongoing.
In a separate matter, he pleaded guilty in a NSW court to breaching an apprehended violence order and is expected to be sentenced in December.
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