Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining me on the line to tell us a little
bit more about the incident that occurred on Friday morning.
Our local jockey Sonya Wiseman, was attacked in her car,
as I understand it, after she'd gone down to get something.
But she joins me on the line right now, Good morning,
Sonya morning. How are you not too bad? Tell me
what happened on Friday morning.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
So, basically I was sitting I'm sorry if I get
emotional through it too, that's all right. Basically, I was
sitting in my car and all of a sudden, the
passenger window shattered. I was sitting in the driver's seat,
my keys were beside me, and I kind of thought
(00:45):
to myself, Oh, that's weird, Like I didn't know, glass
just randomly shattered. And I looked up and there was
a group of about ten men walking towards the car,
and I started screaming obviously natural action, and they just
kind of ran around the car. They'd thrown a rock
(01:06):
through the passenger's window. Rock was literally probably bigger than
my entire head. And I instantly locked the door and
they came around the other side. They were reaching on
the door trying to get the door open. Telling me
to get out, swearing at me. I just got into
panic mode. I forgot how to drive. I didn't know
(01:28):
how to turn a car on. I tried to cool
trickle zero. But in the time that I was trying
to do that, I was trying to drive, trying to
turn my lights on, trying to get everything to work.
I guess I was just the panic is just something
I couldn't even describe to anyone.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Like, Oh, I don't think anybody. I don't think anybody
could even imagine how you must have been feeling in
that moment. Sonya tell me, So, when when did this happen?
It was early Friday morning.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, it was early Friday morning. So my partner and
I had been out at a racing luncheon, yep, and
we'd got home quite late. And yeah, i'd gone out
to the car, and I mean I was in my pajamas. Like,
I didn't really think anything of it. Like we've lived
in this place for like two years now, and we
(02:25):
haven't had a lot of drama. We obviously hear a
lot of commotion that goes on, but we'd never ever
been inflicted, not inflicted, but we'd never been involved with
any incidents that have happened around this area. So I
guess you kind of just push it to the back
of your mind and you think you're safe just going
to sit in your car. Yeah, apparently not.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
So you've got because so you'd gone down to get something,
is that right?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah? So I was sitting in it and I was
just you know, when you sit in and you take
your phone with you, you don't really think much of it.
And I was sitting there, my charges beside me, and
I've opened up Facebook for some stupid reason, and I'm
scrolling and yeah, that's when it all sort of unfolded
(03:13):
from that point.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
So what happened next? Sonya? This massive rock's been thrown
through the passenger window. What happened next?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
So, like I said, I was just in a panic,
like I you know, when you put your leg down
and around and sit on your toe and it kind
of juts like your leg bounces. That's how bad I
was shaking up. Coudn't even get my leg to stay
on the accelerator, and I ended up on the Winelley
Shopping Center side. And They've continued to surround the car
(03:47):
and sort of just throw rocks at it. There was
a gentleman there with I don't know if there was
a pole or a log, and the noise I could
describe was like a pack of coyotes hunting, like they
were yipping at each other. They were laughing. It was
all like a big joke to them.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Where did this happen? So you're in Winelli or near
the narrow is there?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, we're right next to the Winnelly Sugar Plum shopping center.
Like yeah, I can literally walk outside my gate and
they're right there. That's way right there. I could see
the house through the whole thing. At no point was
I like away from our house.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Oh my god. Now and sorry, So were you injured
in this attack?
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah. So, as I've tried to drive away, I was
actually going to be going the wrong way down the
highway come out of the Winnelli shopping center and I
was going to be heading the wrong way down the highway.
But I was going to do whatever I had to
kind of get away. And I've been beeping my horn
doing whatever I could to draw attention. Like I said,
(04:56):
it quite early in the morning, so I was hoping
someone would hear it. And one of the gentlemen he
was probably a meter from the car. As I drove
pass has just launched the rock, and I've turned and
seen him. I'm glad I turned to him because the
rock's gone straight through my window. It's hit me in
the face. It's broken my nose in three places, busted
(05:18):
all my teeth, broken the bone just below, you know.
And obviously meanwhile I'm on the phone to triple zero screaming.
So the call goes for ten minutes, and I'm pretty
sure I just kept saying they're going to kill me.
They're going to kill me. I need I need a paramedics,
I need please, I'm going to be killed. I'm going
(05:39):
to be dead. Yeah, it was really really scary. As
I went to drive away, there was a bigger group
of them down the end of the road and I've reversed,
gone back over a gutter and gone back towards him
an Nelli shopping center, and I was lucky enough there
was some security guards I think now from y base
(06:00):
thats just behind us. They came down. As soon as
they came down, they just scattered. They just bailed and
left me.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So very great, Sonia, Are you okay?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
I think the mental like I'm sure you can hear
my voice sort of taking a little bit. The mental
side of it is probably the worst. Like it was
incredibly scary. I honestly thought I was going to be killed,
and I just thought I was going to be another
number on the sort of murders this year due to
(06:38):
the crime rate in Darwin at the moment.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Oh mate, I cannot even imagine going through what you've
gone through. You're now in a situation where your nose
is broken, your teeth have been damaged. You've got to
get your teeth fixed. But also a lot of people
listening might well a lot of them probably know you're
some of them may not, but you're You're a jockey,
(07:02):
and you were due to race this weekend in the
Darwin Cup Carnival. Weren't you?
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Yeah? I was. So I've actually already missed. So our
carnival runs over eight meetings and I've already missed two
of them, so that day and tomorrow, and I'm trying
to get clearance for the two biggest days that we
have throughout our whole year. And I mean it'll all
depend on whether it's it's too painful to ride. We
(07:31):
get a lot of kickback that hits your face, so
I would be doing everything I can to protect it,
but it still doesn't mean that I'll be cleared to ride.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So so honestly, that is incredibly disappointing, you know, for yourself.
For a jockey, I would imagine that this is absolutely
the biggest and best time of the year to be
out there riding.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Yeah, one work seven days a week, morning to night,
working with our horses, and to be denying something over
something that I can't control. And it's it's not like
I've had a race ball. It's not from an injury
from work. It's due to some thugs basically that have
decided that they don't care who they hurt. It's yeah,
(08:24):
it's pretty disappointing, but probably not even the word for it.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
It's not you know, it's not the word for it.
But we probably can't use the words on it that
we want to use this morning, or we're get in trouble. Yeah,
so tell me, are the police now investigating this incident
or where are you at with that?
Speaker 2 (08:44):
So I still haven't made my police statement. They did obviously.
The paramedics arrived and they took me to hospital. I
do want to say a massive shout out to the
paramedics because they were absolutely incredible. They looked after me
so much and made me feel safe because obviously, like
(09:05):
I was hysterical, but the cops never shown half at all,
which was kind of scary in a way, Like I
kind of think if they did kill me, or if
I was worse than what it was, what would have happened, Like, Yeah,
that's pretty scary to think. The police did show up
(09:29):
to the hospital after a couple of hours, and I
guess it was like a half statement where it's not
written down or anything like that, and they reassured me
like they would do what they can to obviously try
and find them, but I couldn't identify them. I was
that the person even that was trying to open my door.
(09:49):
I didn't even look at them. I was just so
scared and petrified that I never really got to look
at anyone. I know, the general when that broke my teeth, Like,
I know the shoes he had on, and that's it.
But all all I can picture is his shoes and
that's it.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
What a traumatic, terrible experience, Like honestly, that is utterly frightening. Look,
I mean, sonya, how long have you lived in the
territory and how are you sort of feeling about things
after this happened to you on Friday morning.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
So I've believed here probably now. I moved here originally
in twenty nineteen, and then I left again and I
moved to rock Caampton and Victoria, and then we came
back here in twenty twenty one and I had a
raceful and in the time that I had the racefull,
my apartner took up training. So we've been here since
(10:47):
twenty twenty one. But yeah, I'm actually scared in my
house now. Like I said, we hear a lot of
commotional We have a lot of people walk past our
house and at night if I can hear them now,
it's it's pretty it's pretty hard to get sleep, like
it's daunting and like I know no one's coming into
(11:11):
my house. But it's definitely in the back of your head,
like it's a bit a bit scary, like the heart
palpitations that have come on now I don't know where,
like that anxiety of is this going to happen again?
Or yeah, it puts us our taste on Tireland, that's
for sure.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Most certainly does. And look you know, I hope that
I hope that you know that obviously you do give
that statement because you know, I don't want somebody else
to be in the situation that you're in. And I
you know, I I do think that at an incident
like that, you would expect the police to be there.
(11:48):
I know that they are under a lot of pressure.
You know, we hear time and time again that we
need more of them, But you know, something like this
is utterly traumatizing for you.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Yeah, I think like in the back of my head,
I thought no one was coming. That's like my phone
will go to ten minutes. And that wasn't even the
start of the whole ordeal. And like you said, the
police are completely understaffed up here, unfortunately, and they're probably
pushed to their limits trying to get to all the
crime at the moment. But yeah, the thought of no
(12:24):
one's going to come and save you was probably the
worst part of it. And yeah, I mean there's no
CC footage in this area. I've spoken to the an
Early post office. They do have CC footage. It obviously
doesn't cover my area, but they may have that group
(12:45):
of people walking past or But yeah, it's just a
disgusting behavior and they're not okay, it should not be happening.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
No, that's exactly right. It's oh look, that is absolutely
terrible and I'm mortified that that has happened to you.
And I know that a lot of people listening this
morning are going to be feeling exactly the same. Sonya.
I reckon. There's going to be lots of support for
you this morning as well, though, people hoping that you're
able to get out there on the weekend and ride.
(13:16):
When are you going to know?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
So tomorrow morning I'm going to try and ride track
work and just make sure like the rhythm of the
horse isn't going to make my nose feet or anything
like that. So hopefully tomorrow morning I'll have like a
death man. The problem is, obviously a lot of the
trainers have now replaced me on their rides due to
not knowing whether I'm coming back. My partner is probably
(13:44):
one that is holding off with our runners on the
Saturday and the Monday. But you know, if I can't ride,
he's going to struggle to find someone. So you know,
it's probably three four grand that I've already lost and
whatever else I've got to pay for my teeth, so
it's pretty hard and we get married in three weeks
A might yeah, oh yeah, pretty bad timing if anything.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Bloody hell, just tell me with your teeth, how much
work do you need to get done?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
So they've completely busted out, like your main front teeth
and the one on the side of that is completely shattered.
I paid for it to get sort of like a replacement,
just so it's not an open gap. Yesterday that when
I was talking to the dentist's probably going to be
(14:40):
fifteen hundred to two thousand sort of price range to
get it all picked properly.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Yeah, sonya, I feel really sad, like I feel really
heartbroken for you this morning listening to what's going on,
and I reckon there's so many people that will be
feeling exactly the same. Can you please keep us up
to date with how you're tracking along? You know, I
know that lots of people are going to want to
know how you are going later in the week and
if you are still going to get the opportunity to race,
(15:10):
But please do keep in contact with us, and please
know that everybody's behind you and hoping, hoping that you
make a really speedy recovery. And that you know that
everything's going to be okay for your wedding in a
few weeks time.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, thank you. The support I've already received like so
far just and the kind words has been absolutely beautiful.
It's I mean, the racing community as a whole is
always quite supportive with each other. Bit it's a support
from outside people as well. And yeah, it's really really
touching on a hard time when tearing up. Yeah, no,
(15:49):
it's really good.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Oh, Sonya mate, you're going to make me cry as well.
Thank you so much for having a chat with us
this morning, and please keep in contact with us all
the very I'm so sorry that you've had to endure that.
What a bloody terrible situation for you to go through.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Thanks, Sonya, I appreciate your time this morning.