Australia - Bikie gets 10 years for attacking driver trapped in with broken neck in burning car

OFF THE WIRE
BY: Mark Schliebs
 theaustralian.com.au

A SOUTH Australian bikie who bashed a semi-conscious driver trapped inside a burning car -- as well as several good Samaritans and police -- has been jailed for 10 years.
District Court judge Gordon Barrett said Rosario Bagnato, 32, had tried to blame the other driver for the crash before assaulting him.
Judge Barrett said police, two of whom were injured but did not press charges, were forced to use capsicum spray on Bagnato to finally stop him abusing emergency services workers and onlookers at the scene.
"These offences occurred against a background of your abusing everyone who was trying to help at the accident scene, whether they be bystanders, ambulance personnel, firefighters or police," Judge Barrett said.
"Some months after all of this you committed offences of disorderly behaviour, resist police, dangerous driving and refusing another breath test."
Judge Barrett handed down a 10-year jail sentence and a 10-year driving ban to begin on his release.
Bagnato will be eligible for parole in eight years.
The court had heard that Bagnato had smashed into the back of the car, which had stopped at an intersection, while doing at least 105km/h in a 60km/h zone at Glenowrie, in Adelaide's southeast, in February last year.
The crash broke the neck of the driver of the other car -- rendering him semi-conscious -- before his engine caught fire. Bagnato, who was "virtually uninjured", got out of his own car and told a motorcyclist who was about to use a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze that he was a member of the Rebels motorcycle club.
Bagnato then kicked the motorcyclist before punching in the face the driver who was trapped inside the burning car.
When ambulance staff arrived and put the injured man on a stretcher, Bagnato punched him in the face again.
Bagnato also attacked a man who lived near the crash site and was taking photos.
Bagnato had pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated causing serious harm by dangerous driving, two counts of assault, one count of assault causing harm and one count of aggravated assault.