Don’t hug a thug

A PROVOKED thug who overreacts to his provocation — and knocks his victim out cold — is still a thug. And he is a thug who deserves a penalty that is equal to his offence.

Geelong court heard Jake Broughton and his workmate reacted to something said to them by others as they walked through our CBD in December.

Broughton was filming the initial skirmish when one of the other men — Lewis Doak — allegedly snatched his phone.

Mr Doak obviously should not have done that and his actions would usually prompt some sort of reaction from the person whose phone has been snatched.

But the reaction was brutal and out of proportion.

As video footage shows, Broughton knocked Mr Doak to the ground and then proceeds to punch him to the head until he is as limp as a rag doll and unconscious.

Footage of one of the antagonists dragging the limp Mr Doak along the street is sickening.

The court heard Broughton’s mate was going to do further damage with a weapon to the unconscious Mr Doak but he was restrained by others.

Thank God he was — those who intervened may have saved Mr Doak’s life.

The magistrate had his reasons for imposing the penalty he chose for Broughton: he said it was out of character and that Broughton, a steel cutter, (who had been drinking for 14 hours before the attack) has a number of things going for him.

Even so, Broughton receiving just a fine of $2750, no conviction, and getting to walk from court, does seem like insufficient punishment for the violence he was caught on camera committing in our city.

People need to be able to have a good time in our CBD at night without risking a mauling — or worse an accidental death sentence — from someone acting like a drunken fool.

Broughton was banned from some locations around Geelong’s CBD but not a blanket statewide ban from licensed premises.

That too could have been tougher.