Grayson Crosbie awaits sentence after love triangle assault leaves victim ‘fearing for life’

The victim of a love triangle assault has told a court of his lasting pain, saying the attack has left him “looking over his shoulder, fearing for his life”.

A love triangle between two men who were “enthralled” by a woman resulted in a broken leg and staples to the head to one of them after a heated tussle in Adelaide’s Riverland.

Grayson Crosbie, 33, appeared in the Adelaide District Court after pleaded guilty to a number of charges including aggravated causing harm with intent and threatening life.

The court heard Crosbie had arrived home to find his partner, her former boyfriend and his daughter in his home back in November 2021.

Grayson Crosbie will be sentenced later this year. Pic: Facebook

Edward Jolly, defence counsel for Crosbie, submitted to the court on November 10, his client had decided to pop home during his working hours to see his daughter and his partner.

“He was in his work car and did not have his keys to his home, which is why he knocked on the front door,” Mr Jolly said.

“He sees the victim standing in the approximate location of his daughter.”

Crosbie began yelling at the victim, telling him to leave and to “get the f**k out of here now” before grabbing him by the front of his shirt and trying to pull him to the front door.

“That altercation ends when Mr Crosbie picks up the ashtray and hits the victim on the head,” Mr Jolly said.

“He (Crosbie) follows him outside … both men fall to the ground and that is the event we say Mr Crosbie is responsible for breaking the victim’s leg.”

The court heard the victim received a broken right leg and fractured ankle, while also needing staples to the head after he was airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital to have the bone corrected.

It was further submitted the three met a few years earlier through their recreational use of methamphetamine however, at the time of the offending, Crosbie had been “weaning himself off his recreational use and focused on the care of his daughter”.

In 2020, Crosbie and his partner separated, only for the victim to move in and begin relations with Crosbie’s partner.

“The two men were enthralled with her … She used both men to her advantage,” Mr Jolly submitted.

After two months Crosbie’s partner said she wanted to re-establish a relationship with him for the benefit of their daughter, the court was told.

The court heard this drove the victim to becoming “obsessed” with Crosbie’s partner, putting her down as his next of kin and emergency contact – despite them not being together.

“He (the victim) began bombarding her across all forms of social media,” Mr Jolly said.

This continued on for several months, before the altercation in November.

In a victim impact statement, the court heard how the events that transpired on that day will have lifelong effects on the victim.

“This going to be something I have to suffer with for the rest of my life, it’s also made it impossible for me to ever work again,” he said.

“I’ll never be able to work in the industry I was trained in again.

“Now I can’t even walk to shops without looking over my shoulder, fearing for my life as a result of the physical assault.”

Mr Crosbie will be sentenced later this year.