‘I snapped’, says dad who attacked bully
A QUEENSLAND dad, praised by some for choking a teenage boy he claims was bullying his stepdaughter, regrets the attack and has warned other parents not to follow in his footsteps.
Mark David Bladen pleaded guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm for attacking and choking a 14-year-old boy at a Brisbane skate park on March 3.
He was fined $1000 with no conviction recorded.
His wife Jennifer spoke up following the attack to say the boy had been bullying his daughter for months to the point she was scared to go to school.
But outside court, Mr Bladen was repentant and urged parents not to follow his example.
“I’m very sorry for what I did, very regretful and ashamed,” he told reporters.
“Please don’t do what I did, I just lost control, it’s definitely not the way to handle things.”
The court heard Mr Bladen confronted the boy before grabbing him around the throat and holding him on the ground, causing him to begin to lose consciousness. The fight was broken up by the victim’s friends.
Mr Bladen later told police he just “snapped” and the court heard the firefighter had an exemplary history, including a commendation for his work in Rockhampton following Cyclone Marcia in 2015.