WAGGA LOCAL COURT
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AS NSW reacts to the introduction of one-punch laws, one Wagga man has come dangerously close to walking into a prison cell after landing a punch so brutal his victim required facial surgery.
Jake Charles Lloyd, 24, had been enjoying a day out at a Wagga pub in November 2012 with friends when he noticed two men getting into a physical argument.
Wanting to stop the incident, he intervened.
His “macho” actions, as labelled by Wagga Local Court Magistrate Megan Greenwood, continued later that day when the group Lloyd had joined were ejected from the hotel due to intoxication.
Upon seeing the members of the group grabbing the publican, Lloyd moved in to assist the man only to have the group turn on him.
What happened next is where everything changed.
Facts tendered to the Wagga Local Court stated as Lloyd walked away from the hotel to leave the scene he saw the man from the first altercation standing a few metres away.
He later told police during an interview the man looked hostile with his fists clenched.
Believing he was about to be assaulted, Lloyd threw a single punch at his victim, striking him in the jaw.
His victim’s head hit the concrete pavement, leaving him unconscious.
It wasn’t until later at Wagga Base Hospital following sedation that the extent of his victim’s injuries were known.
His left jaw was fractured and required surgery, he had large facial bruising and blurred vision.
Lloyd was yesterday sentenced for a single charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Lloyd’s solicitor Zac Tankard argued the assault was not a case of an unprovoked attack, but rather had some provocation and element of self-defence involved.
“The victim and his friends had a large part to play as well as the accused,” he said.
He argued that his client’s actions through the night had been consistent with attempting to prevent further violence, not continue it.
Magistrate Greenwood said if it wasn’t for his alcohol-fuelled state he would have been able to make the decision to walk away or call the police.
“You easily could have killed this man,” Ms Greenwood said.
“Your judgment that day was appalling. There is no justification for what you did. It was borderline for me as to whether or not you would go to jail.”
He was sentenced to perform 200 hours of community service.