No jail for man over love brawl

A CHINESE student who hit a man on the head with a rock in a love triangle gone wrong has escaped jail and a fine.

Xiao Chen, a Griffith hospitality student, became embroiled in a brawl after discovering he was unwittingly part of a complicated romantic entanglement, the Southport Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

Chen and a friend arrived at a Southport home in November last year and called a man he had not met out into the driveway and threatened him.

The police prosecutor told the court Chen threatened the other man in Chinese.

“The defendant told the victim words to the effect of, ‘You p*** me off’,” she said.

Chen also told the victim he would be in “big trouble” if he stayed in the country and that if he stayed on the Gold Coast his “life would become dangerous”.

Chen then punched the other man and a fight broke out.

During the fight Chen picked up a rock and hit the other man on the back of the head hard enough to draw blood and leave a bruise.

Defence lawyer Jason Grant, of Hannay Lawyers, said monogamy was very important to the Chinese culture.

He said Chen thought his girlfriend had been cheating on him with the victim.

It was in fact the reverse and the woman had been involved with the victim for a lengthier period of time.

Chen has no previous criminal history and is currently in the country on a student visa.

Magistrate Bernadette Callaghan sentenced Chen to a two-year good behaviour order with recognisance of $1000.

No conviction was recorded for the offence.