Suspended sentence for nightclub assault
A YOUNG man who assaulted a stranger outside a Hobart nightclub after he “wouldn’t leave his missus alone” has been sentenced.
Brian Graham Dean Gordon, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of assault in the Supreme Court in Hobart before Justice Michael Brett on Tuesday.
Crown prosecutor Madeleine Figg said on March 24, 2019, after going to Ivory Lounge Bar in Collins St, Dean Gordon got into a verbal altercation with the victim, who was not known to him, after witnessing an interaction between the man and his then- girlfriend.
A witness tried to hold Dean Gordon back as he punched the complainant. Ms Figg said after the man fell to the ground, Dean Gordon punched him twice more.
The complainant was taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital and the court heard he suffered a concussion, a laceration under the chin that required three stitches, extensive bruising and a fractured tooth that had to be extracted.
A victim impact statement said the complainant required two bone grafts, which included an “invasive” procedure where his gums were cut and peeled back. “I feel very fortunate to have survived this vicious assault,” he said in his impact statement.
The court heard in an interview with police, Dean Gordon said the complainant “wouldn’t leave his missus alone” and it “got a bit out of hand”. Ms Figg said Dean Gordon’s guilty plea had come late, with his trial due to start on Tuesday.
Defence lawyer Garth Stevens said it was not a case of an unprovoked, alcohol- fuelled act of violence, but that Dean Gordon had responded to provocation and he perceived the man as a threat.
He said his client saw the complainant speaking rudely to his girlfriend and said to him “show a bit of respect – that’s my missus”.
Mr Stevens said the complainant had replied to Dean Gordon “what are you going to do about it little boy” and after further argument, the complainant spat at Dean Gordon.
Justice Brett said: “Due to his [ the victims’] intoxication, he was clearly not a serious threat to you.”
Dean Gordon was sentenced to eight months in prison, wholly suspended, with conditions including 126 hours of community service.