‘Vicious attack’ for $150

Judge blasts man who beat woman with baseball bat to collect debt

A MAN viciously beat a younger woman with a baseball bat, leaving her needing stitches over $150 he believed was owed to him.

Bowman Charles Davidson’s late-night attack on his young victim resulted in him returning to jail, with a magistrate admonishing his behaviour. Davidson pleaded guilty in Murgon Magistrates Court to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Police prosecutor Barry Stevens told the court the 27year-old victim was at home about 10pm on August 27, socialising with a friend when she heard a knock on the door.

Thinking it was another friend, she unlocked the door and sat back down. Davidson, who was well-known to the victim, then entered the home wielding a baseball bat and sat down on the couch.

“He began questioning about money (the victim) had borrowed, and the defendant was angry,” Sergeant Stevens said. Davidson’s manner and the fact he was armed made the victim and her friend feel “unsafe and uncomfortable”, the court heard.

The victim walked out of her home and turned to lock the door when Davidson swung the bat at her head, causing her cheek to “split open”.

She fled into her home and locked herself in the bathroom and called triple-0 while Davidson continued to demand the money before leaving.

The 47-year-old was arrested in Redcliffe on Tuesday,

August 31. Sergeant Stevens described the assault as a “vicious attack by a mature person”.

He also noted Davidson had a deplorable history with six counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, one common assault, two rapes and one serious assault – although there had been no violent crime since 2012.

Davidson’s defence lawyer Alan Korobacz revealed to the court the horror attack was over just $150, which his client claimed had been stolen.

“That doesn’t justify his actions, but things like this don’t just happen out of the blue … that was all the money he had,” Mr Korobacz said.

Magistrate Andrew Sinclair admonished Davidson, telling him using a bat to collect a debt was unacceptable.

Davidson was sentenced to 18 months’ jail, with a parole date set for February 28, 2022.