Man receives additional prison sentence for contempt of court after assaulting judge

An individual previously incarcerated for three years for assaulting a judge, an incident that included throwing a radiator, has received an additional five-month prison sentence following his admission of contempt of court. Greg Hazeltine, aged 41, repeatedly struck Judge Patrick Perusko and referred to him as a “little lying weasel” during proceedings at Milton Keynes Family Court in November 2023. During a High Court session held on Thursday, Mr. Hazeltine confessed to contempt of court concerning nine separate incidents, three of which had already resulted in prior sentencing. Upon delivering the sentence, Mr Justice Cobb characterized Hazeltine’s conduct as “insulting, intimidating, threatening and abusive”. In June, Hazeltine received a three-year prison term after entering a guilty plea to charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Judge Perusko, criminal damage related to the radiator, and employing threatening, abusive, or insulting language or conduct directed at Recorder Dharmesh Patel. He participated in Thursday’s hearing remotely, via a video link from HMP Highpoint, located in Suffolk. On November 29, Hazeltine subjected Judge Perusko to verbal abuse, issued “indirect threats,” and labeled him a “little lying weasel” as well as a “bully and a coward.” He then seized a small, free-standing radiator and a laptop, subsequently throwing the radiator in the direction of the judge. Following this, he vaulted the “judicial barrier,” pursued the judge, and forced him into a corner, resulting in Judge Perusko striking his head on the metal base of a coat stand. Hazeltine subsequently restrained him and delivered punches to his head. During a hearing on February 3, 2023, Hazeltine interrupted Recorder Dharmesh Patel, and on July 13, 2023, Hazeltine “used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour” towards Judge Patel “with intent to cause him to believe immediate unlawful violence would be caused upon him.” Jessica Lee, Hazeltine’s barrister, stated: “He apologises for his horrific actions on those days and takes responsibility for them.” Hazeltine himself commented: “I can’t justify why I hit the judge and I wake up wishing every day that I had not done it because he does not deserve what I did to him.” Mr Justice Cobb described Hazeltine’s conduct as “blatant and unrestrained interference with the administration of justice.” He further remarked: “It was undermining of the dignity and authority of the court.”