Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Thugs use goon bag to bash goths - Queensland - BrisbaneTimes

Thugs use goon bag to bash goths - Queensland - BrisbaneTimes

Christine Kellett | November 14, 2007 - 2:32PM

Two men have faced court over a violent assault which saw a group of goths bashed with a goon bag.

Luke Anthony Harrison, 21, and Mereki Ian Pryor, 19, were each sentenced to jail for the attack, which left five members of Brisbane's gothic community nursing cuts and bruises.

The District Court today heard Harrison and Pryor had been drinking goon - or cask wine - in a park at the corner of Wickham Terrace and Ann Street in Fortitude Valley about 10.30pm on July 30, 2005 when the group walked past.

After shouting insults such as "freaks" and "faggots", Pryor approached the three women and two men, aged between 19 and 24, asked them if they wanted to fight and began throwing punches and kicks.

Harrison, carrying the bag of goon, also became involved, using it to take a swing at one of the women, knocking her glasses off her face. Another woman was also hit.

Crown prosecutor Chris Minnery said one of the group managed to grab the cask.

"F*** off or I'll break the goon," she said while threatening to stomp on the bag.

The attack stopped when the group managed to flee to safety at the nearby Orient Hotel. None were seriously injured.

Pryor's defence barrister, Megan Robbins, put her client's behaviour down to alcohol abuse, telling the court that at the time he was drinking up to three litres of cask wine a day.

"His judgement was obviously impaired to a significant degree," Ms Robbins explained, prompting Judge Julie Dick to fire back: "His liver can't have been too good either."

"This is public violence on a group of people who were just going about their business," the judge told the pair, who both pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning bodily harm in company.

"They are entitled to dress and look how they like as long as they don't interfere with the rest of the community."

Pryor, who is already serving a three-and-a-half year prison term for unrelated offences, had an extra six months added to his sentence, but will be eligible to apply for parole today.

Harrison received a 12 month term and was released immediately on parole after Judge Dick accepted he had played a lesser role in the assault.

Another articles adds a few new details:
Men 'bashed goths with wine cask'
NEWS.com.au, Australia - November 14, 2007
By Christine Flatley Two men have faced court over a vicious street brawl where a cask wine bladder was used to beat up a group of "goths" in Brisbane. ...

Pryor - who had a severe alcohol problem at the time and was drinking up to three litres of wine every day - approached the group and began to provoke them before hitting one of the men three times in the head.

The court was told a fight erupted, with Pryor and Harrison kicking and punching the men and the women, who tried to defend themselves.

The court was told Harrison picked up the wine bladder at one point and used it to smack one of the girls across the face.

Pryor and Harrison then knocked one of the men to the ground and kicked him repeatedly.

The group managed to escape and took refuge in a nearby pub.

They suffered bruising and cuts to their faces and bodies.

Harrison and Pryor pleaded guilty to four counts each of assault occasioning bodily harm in company.Pryor also pleaded guilty to one count of common assault.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Whilst yes its bad people were assaulted etc etc. This is hands down one of my favourite real news stories ever.

No matter which way you cut it: "F*** off or I'll break the goon." is comedy gold.