Former security guard Daniel Thomas White sentenced for violent assault on random patron

A security guard has fronted court after he kicked and stomped on a “completely innocent” patron who allegedly urinated on a tree.

Daniel Thomas White pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury in the Geelong Magistrates' Court.

A former security guard with plans to work in the armed forces unleashed a “cowardly” assault on a “completely innocent” patron because they allegedly urinated on a tree.

Daniel Thomas White, 36, pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to recklessly causing injury and narrowly escaped a jail sentence.

White, who now resides in Gisborne, was working as a security guard when he assaulted the man on March 31 last year at an event at the Mount Duneed Estate.

Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said White engaged in a “prolonged attack” on a “completely innocent person” who committed a mild offence by allegedly urinating on the tree.

Mr Lethbridge said White’s role as a security guard was to prevent violence.

“Presumably you received training; certainly that is what you were employed to do,” Mr Lethbridge said.

“Yet on this occasion, your actions were not only a serious over-reaction but excessively violent, cowardly, and criminal.”

“This wasn’t a single punch; this was a prolonged attack.

“Not only did you disable the person by having him on the ground, but you also went on to kick and stomp on that individual while he was on the ground.”

White’s lawyer, Matthew Nielson, said that since the incident, White had been stood down from his work as a security guard and suffered “financial implications of being unemployed”.

Mr Nielson told the court that certain incidents could trigger his client to behave in an excessively violent and criminal manner.

Mr Nielson said the fallout of the incident had significantly impacted his client in many ways.

“He wants to move ahead in life, and he did have ambitions to perhaps pursue a career within the armed forces or maybe some type of security-oriented employment,” Mr Nielson said.

“He has put his hand up and admits he has done the wrong thing.

“He is extremely remorseful for it.”

Mr Lethbridge responded by saying White was not somebody who should be working in any position of authority where he could use violence.

“That conduct calls for the strongest denunciation, meaning the court actively considers a term of imprisonment,” he said.

Because White had never been before a court for any previous offences, Mr Lethbridge said it was for that reason alone he would not jail White.

“If you ever lay a finger on another person in anger or hurt them, you will go to jail, and you will go to jail for a very significant period of time,” Mr Lethbridge said.

“The explanation for this offence falls far short of justifying how or why this occurred.”

White was sentenced to a community corrections order with conviction for 15 months and was ordered to undertake 200 hours of community work.

Originally published as Former security guard Daniel Thomas White sentenced for violent assault on random patron