Jail for punch attack
A CAIRNS man has been handed an 18-month jail sentence for a one-punch attack which left a veteran rugby league player with a broken jaw.
Keith William Addo, 36, was standing outside the door of a taxi when former Brothers player-coach Robbie Swain emerged from inside in the carpark of The Pier on September 3, 2017.
During a three-day trial in the Cairns District Court the court heard he delivered a single punch to Mr Swain’s face which immediately broke his jaw and left it “hanging down”.
The injury required surgery to have a plate inserted and Mr Swain also suffered teeth damage and a loss of up to $12,000 in wages.
The jury took about two and a half hours to find the former child support worker guilty of grievous bodily harm and Judge Michael Shanahan described it as an “overwhelming” Crown case.
“It was a forceful punch,” he said.
“The jaw had deviated as a result of this punch.
“In my view it was an overwhelming case against him.”
The court heard earlier in the night Addo’s older brother Wayne and another man Thomas Satrick had been drinking at Brothers Leagues Club where the players were after the game.
The pair became angry after being kicked out by staff and tried to challenge Mr Swain to a fight.
He left with a group of players and went into town, but Wayne and Mr Satrick called Keith, who had been at home with his family, and he and his wife came in and followed the player’s taxi into town.
“It was plain you involved yourself because of what you’d been told (by your brother),” Judge Shanahan said. After Keith punched Mr Swain, Wayne attacked and the pair became involved in a “sloppy” fight on a grass bank near the entrance to the bar which was broken up soon afterwards by other players.
Wayne gave evidence during the trial and said Keith had not been involved and it was only him that fought Mr Swain.
In a victim impact statement tendered in court it said Mr Swain is suffering depression and given up coaching because of the incident.
Judge Shanahan set a parole release date of December 5 this year.