A 29-year-old man was sentenced to a suspended prison term in relation to the brutal bashing of a 21-year-old man in April last year at Mandurah’s Toucan Club.
James Sofeni Pritchard pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm in Mandurah Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
The police prosecutor told the court it was about 1.30am when the victim and the doorman at the nightclub became involved in an altercation.
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READ NOWUp to three men from Island Security became involved in the attack, with the victim receiving several blows during a “sustained assault”.
While the victim was pinned to a wall by a number of males, Pritchard joined the melee.
Pritchard punched the victim to the left side of the head up to six times before walking off.
The victim sustained a broken jaw, a cut lip, black eyes and bruising.
Counsel for Pritchard told the court he became involved after he heard the victim say all bouncers were of Samoan descent and called them “black monkeys”.
Magistrate Anne Longden asked Pritchard to clarify when the victim made the comment, if it was before or during the assault.
“I’m just dubious about that claim,” she said.
“You claim he said something, but your reaction was disproportionate.”
Magistrate Longden also questioned why Pritchard was not charged with grievous bodily harm.
The police prosecutor told the court that they could not be sure if Pritchard caused the broken jaw “due to the amount of people assaulting the victim at the time”.
Magistrate Longden described the facts as “horrifying”.
“At the moment you inflicted your part of the assault the victim had been pinned against the wall by others,” she said.
“The assault was so bad members of the public had to intervene.
“The victim was extremely vulnerable.”
However, while she accepted that Pritchard was remorseful, the assault was not “out of character”.
Pritchard had been convicted of a Queensland assault five years earlier.
“This highlights the fact there may be issues that need addressing,” Magistrate Longden said.
She sentenced him to seven months in prison suspended for 12 months.
Two other men have also been convicted in relation to the assault.
Jushaun Bishop pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm and was placed on a 1`2 month intensive supervision order.
Cody Davies was sentenced to three months in prison for assault occasioning bodily harm.
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