Boxer avoids prison term

SCOTTISH boxer Stephen Lavelle jogged away from court yesterday after receiving a nine-month suspended sentence for urinating on two women and punching a man in the face in a Gold Coast nightclub.

The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist (pictured) was found guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm and three counts of assault following the 3am melee in April at the SinCity nightclub.

But Lavelle’s victims, Bilal McCracken Strickland, Amy Wallace and Kortney Rykers Hollier, said they felt humiliated and he should have received a custodial sentence.

“We’ve been humiliated, we got peed on in a nightclub when we were just trying to enjoy ourselves,” Ms Wallace said outside court.

“Kortney’s been punched and Bilal has been scarred for life. Yes, he’s been convicted but in reality he had got away with it, he’s not going to jail like we hoped. It’s just a bit humiliating in the end.”

The assaults began when the two women believed they had been urinated on in the nightclub and Ms Rykers Hollier told Mr Strickland about it.

Mr Strickland confronted Lavelle, who the court was told called him a “putrid f---”.

The court had previously been told Mr Strickland threw a glass at Lavelle, which Mr Strickland denied.

The court was told that in the confrontation Lavelle lashed out, hitting Mr Strickland and unintentionally striking a blow to Ms Rykers Hollier’s face.

Lavelle said he drank six bottles of Corona, three glasses of Jack Daniels bourbon and Coke and a Jagerbomb shot on the night.

In handing down his judgment in the Southport Magistrates Court, Magistrate Mark Howden said Lavelle could have walked away from the confontation at any time.

“He could have walked away, there is no evidence of an imminent physical assault,” Mr Howden said.

“Many people in Scotland would consider you to be a champion athlete.

“This behaviour seems to me to be completely out of character … I can only conclude that the amount of alcohol you had consumed on that night contributed considerably to your behaviour.”

Lavelle was sentenced to nine months jail, wholly suspended for 12 months on a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm, and received fines for the common assaults.

He was also ordered to pay compensation to his victims.