John and Dylan Weimer escape jail time for violent Hotel Augusta brawl

A father and son have faced court over their involvement in an all-out country pub brawl, with the hotel’s owner telling court she had “never seen anything like it”.

A father and son have been charged for their role in a 20-person pub brawl after a drunken patron spat on the father’s foot.

John Weimer, 57, and Dylan Weimer, 20, were yesterday sentenced in Port Augusta Magistrates Court for the assault.

Police were called to Hotel Augusta in March last year after receiving reports of a brawl involving about 20 patrons.

The court heard CCTV footage showed the victim carrying two drinks at 10.36pm, sitting down at a table before standing up shortly afterwards.

A few minutes later John Weimer punched the victim in the head, who was then dragged off his stool and away from the table with his head pushed towards the ground, the court heard.

John Weimer received a nine-month sentence that was subsequently suspended. Picture: Facebook

The victim was punched multiple times in the head before a brawl ensued and eventually moved onto the streets outside the hotel.

The prosecution read a statement from Hotel Augusta owner Heidi Johnson, who was working behind the bar on the night and had “never seen anything like it before.”

“They threw him along the table, it was really scary because there was nothing that we could do,” she said.

“I was afraid staff would get hurt because it was all so violent.”

The second witness account came from an off-duty police officer who was at the Hotel Augusta when he heard people rush out into the beer garden.

“They saw that the victim had a cut to the head and his shirt had been ripped.

According to a witness, Dylan and his father threw a man down the length of a table at the Hotel Augusta. Picture: Facebook

“There were chairs being thrown and people were leaving the beer garden by climbing over the railing.”

The Weimer’s lawyer said on the night of offending they had been engaging with friends in an “amicable” manner before being approached by a man who was “incredibly intoxicated.”

“He (the victim) hung around and was making ‘old bloke jokes’, at one stage they told him that he was drunk and needed to leave them alone,” the lawyer said.

“He then spilt his drink on John Weimer’s foot, subsequently spat on his foot and said ‘you’re wearing thongs there you go that will clean it for you.’ ”

Magistrate Luke Davis said although there were different charges in terms of assault, it was effectively one incident that “happened quickly for all involved.”

“Obviously it was extremely serious, I sentence you on the basis that there was some provocation,” he said.

“The victim spat on your shoe but you didn’t need to react in that fashion.

“You (John) completely overacted and punched a defenceless man, one of the serious things is that you kicked this all off, you all are lucky that nothing worse happened to anyone else.”

Magistrate Davis suspended the Weimer’s jail sentence due to their early guilty pleas.

Both men were handed a $600, two-year good behaviour bond.