Judge Tells Jockey: “I’m Sick of Men Who Hit Women” After Repeated Attacks on Partner
A Hamilton court heard this week that the violence Jordan Crawford inflicted on his partner was not a momentary lapse or an act of passion — it was repeated, deliberate, and cowardly. The judge sentencing him made sure those words were on the record.
“I’m sick of men who hit women,” the judge told Crawford from the bench, in remarks that drew a quiet murmur from those in the public gallery. “Your behaviour was cowardly. It was utter gratuitous violence.”
Crawford, a jockey with a career built on precision, discipline, and physical strength, was found to have used that same physical strength against his partner on multiple occasions. The court heard details that painted a picture of escalating control and violence within the relationship, leaving the victim with lasting physical and psychological injuries.
“The court will not treat this as a lesser offence because it happened behind closed doors. Domestic violence is violence.”
Crawford’s defence counsel had sought leniency on the basis of his sporting career and the potential impact of a custodial sentence on his livelihood. The judge dismissed this line of argument firmly, noting that professional achievement does not confer immunity from accountability. The sentence handed down reflected the serious and repeated nature of the offending.
Women’s advocacy groups welcomed the judge’s direct language, saying that plain statements from the bench carry weight not just for offenders in the room but for the wider community. “When a judge says out loud that they are sick of this,” one advocate said, “it sends a message that the courts are not going to normalise this behaviour.”
