It’s the sort of story that makes you pause, shake your head, and wonder what’s happening to the world. A simple act of standing up for what’s right ended in tragedy for one pensioner—reminding us how everyday situations can turn dark.
Anthony Jacobs, a retired bricklayer, was just walking home from the pub—something many of us have done countless times. But on this particular evening, he encountered Jake Saunders, a teenager, who was in the midst of a drunken rampage.
Saunders, upset after a breakup and already intoxicated by 4pm, was seen taking out his anger on a VW Transporter van, snapping off windscreen wipers, breaking a wing mirror, and jumping on the bonnet.
Mr Jacobs, witnessing the vandalism, did what many of us would hope to do: he challenged the young man’s behaviour. Tragically, this act of community-mindedness cost him his life.
As Mr Jacobs walked away, Saunders launched a brutal and sustained attack. Witnesses described Saunders throwing Mr Jacobs against the van, pushing him down, punching and kicking him as he lay on the ground, and even stamping and jumping on his head.
The violence was so severe that every bone in Mr Jacobs’s face was broken, and he suffered 30 separate injuries, including a broken shoulder blade and six broken ribs. The trauma led to a cardiac arrest and catastrophic brain injury.
Mr Jacobs was placed in an induced coma but died nine days later. His brother, upon seeing him in hospital, was so shocked by his injuries that he thought he’d been taken to the wrong bed.
Saunders’s rampage didn’t end there. After leaving Mr Jacobs motionless, he continued to vandalise other vehicles, even jumping on a VW Golf ‘like it was a trampoline’.
When police arrived, Saunders tried to hide in a bush, but when confronted, he assaulted two police officers and an ambulance paramedic, breaking the paramedic’s jaw.
In court, Saunders pleaded guilty to murder and three counts of assault on emergency workers. He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 15 years before he can be considered for parole.
The aftermath for Mr Jacobs’s family has been devastating. Victim impact statements from his brother and daughters painted a picture of a much-loved man whose life was cut short in a senseless act of violence.
While this story is deeply distressing, it’s also a testament to the courage of ordinary people like Mr Jacobs, who aren’t afraid to stand up for what’s right. As the community reflects on the events that unfolded, broader discussions around justice and public safety continue.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to intervene or call for help? How do you balance the desire to do the right thing with the need to stay safe? Have recent events changed the way you think about safety in your neighbourhood? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
Also read: Thieves flee after hit and run leaves 79-year-old driver for dead
The UK should bring back the death penalty for murderers such as these and terrorists.
What’s “life” in Australia? out in 15 years if he behaves inside! Had that been in say, the USA, he would have got life without parole! Why does “life” here mean a slap on the wrist, our Judiciary sucks!!
I’ve just read the story of the pensioner who was attacked and died while trying to be an upstanding citizen. The attack was horrendous as was the following assault on Police and Ambulance. But that wasn’t the end of the story. Life imprisonment for the murderer. That seemed like justice until I read 15 years before being eligible for parole. Seriously? I don’t care about the background of the murderer. There is no law and order and no justice in the legal system. 30 years minimum would have been more appropriate.
Life should be life. This kid damaged at least 4 and killed a man with an awful beating and will walk away after 15 years. The law is a ass. The Penalty for this type of behaviour is pathetic.
Let’s hope he drops his soap in the prison showers and becomes some ones bum boy, this human garbage should never see the light of day again outside prison
Vermin like this Grub should Hang…..Full Stop…
A life sentence with not eligible for parole until 15 years have been served. That’s nowhere near life and this drunken monster will, if let out then, will still be a young bloke to enjoy his life for many years. BTW, why use a stock phot of someone who is obviously not a teenager and certainly not the teenager committing this appalling crime.
We all pity the retired man who we brutally attacked and killed, but it shows that it’s better to not approach guy committing a crime and, instead phone the police and keep well away from the perpetrator.
Comment sent in by YLC reader Geoffrey via email:
Poor Anthony Jacobs had a horrible death and his family are traumatised, and Jake Saunders will now spend at least 15 years in prison because he wasn’t properly disciplined as a child. The incidence of youth crime is a national disgrace, and is becoming an emergency. People have no choice but to not challenge anti-social behaviour, and just ring the police instead. Unfortunately, the Police are understaffed to handle the growing crime wave.
Parenting skills seem to have been lacking from an early age in such cases. With an emphasis these days on no smacking, parents need to learn new skills that can be used from an early age to mould their children into good citizens. There is no ‘parenting school’, but some form of assistance in the tricky art of parenting is clearly needed.
Perhaps some level of very light ‘smacking’ should be acceptable? I remember one of my nieces challenging her father’s instruction not to do something (46 years ago). My brother said: “If you do that one more time, I will smack you”. She then looked him directly in the eye and did exactly what she had been told not to do – testing him. He promptly gave her one light tap with 4 fingers on her nappy-filled pants which would not have hurt her at all – just her pride. She cried and went out of the room, returning to her father 2 minutes later for a reassuring cuddle. She grew up into a wonderful, law abiding citizen, and brought up 3 of her own children to be the same. I think that this little anecdote could help a lot of parents who weren’t taught how to discipline their children.
That light tap with 3 fingers after a warning is a very different level of discipline to being repeatedly whacked with a strong open hand or a strap, both of which are abhorrent. By contrast, the careful use of light, painless ‘smacks’ from a young age should not be frowned upon. Clearly, the approach of no absolutely no physical punishment of children isn’t working. Children quickly learn that their parents’ threats are empty.
Children who grow up without the benefit of ‘appropriate’ training by their parents don’t know the meaning of boundaries, and are then unable to train their own children. By the time they become adults, they are not safe to be part of society.
I never hear the media discussing the background to these horrendous crimes – why people develop with no apparent conscientiousness.
The old, unacceptable adage of “Spare the rod and spoil the child” could perhaps be rewritten as: “Spare the light smack and spoil the child”.
When the hell is a life sentence going to mean LIFE . This filthy grot will still be a young thug and a coward when he is released from prison as well as being capable of seriously hurting or killing someone physically weaker . As the justice system is a good for nothing shambles with criminal loving judges going easy on violent criminals ,I would like to see this pathetic excuse for a human being beaten up to the extent that he will be permanently badly crippled . Guess what he won’t be able to commit anymore violent crimes .
It’s no use blaming the weak, out of touch judiciary. It’s our politicians who set the laws which allows the judiciary to deliver such ridiculous “punishments”. We need politicians who will provide us with a set of laws that actually protect the community.
It’s a shame that the police didn’t have cause to use their weapons when they arrested this cowardly creep. It would have been a far more just outcome although no doubt the bleeding hearts (usually from the leafy green suburbs) would then have been after the police officer’s blood.