The Block star violently attacked while walking dog
A man who violently attacked The Block star Shaynna Blaze while she was out walking her dog has been jailed.
Mark Christopher Surmon, 40, appeared at the County Court of Victoria on April 5 where he was jailed for 100 days for assaulting Shaynna.
The reality TV star was walking her dog when Surmon approached her from behind on April 18, 2020 and aggressively punched her in the head.
Blaze was then struck on her cheek causing her to trip and fall to the ground before she was stifled by Surmon’s hand as she attempted to scream.
“He placed pressure on her shoulders to keep her down while this occurred,” Detective Senior Constable John Connor told the court, news.com.au reported.
The court heard that Blaze had no opportunity to run from Surmon and the attack was unprovoked.
Surmon was jailed for 100 days and immediately appealed the sentence which was rejected.
His lawyer argued that he had schizophrenia and Surmon was further issued with a community corrections order to help with drug and mental health issues.
Blaze said she hoped her attacker was getting the help he needed to ensure incidents like hers don’t occur again.
“Crimes like this need to stop and punishment and rehabilitation are both important levers for our society,” she said.
“I hope he gets the help he needs so this doesn’t happen to anyone else”.
Blaze also runs family violence charity Voice of Change to ensure women have a safe space to speak.
She explained that she has struggled from past relationships and was a victim of domestic violence and wanted to help other women.
“This is my past and my personal life … I want other women out there to know that you can have a voice and there are people out there who want to give you a voice,” Blaze previously said.
“You can still live a great life, be successful and still keep your integrity no matter what happens to you.”
Images: Instagram