Lee Moana Parsons pleads guilty to nine charges including assault occasioning bodily harm

A Tweed man who’s been remanded in custody since last October has pleaded guilty to nine offences, most seriously a bit-part in a violent home invasion in which a male occupant was bashed unconscious.

Banora Point man Lee Moana Parsons, 53. Picture: Facebook

A Tweed man who has been remanded in custody since last October has pleaded guilty to nine offences, most seriously a bit-part in a violent home invasion at Southport in which a male occupant was bashed unconscious.

New Zealand-born Banora Point man Lee Moana Parsons, 53, appeared from custody via audiovisual link in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday, May 20.

He pleaded guilty to offences including assault occasioning bodily harm (AOBH) while in company, common assault, stealing, trespass, obstructing police, and possessing dangerous drugs.

The most serious offending, common assault, AOBH in company, and trespass, occurred at Southport on October 11 last year.

Banora Point man Lee Moana Parsons, 53. Picture: Facebook

The agreed statement of facts was not read into the public record, but defence lawyer India Brady told the court Parsons had met his co-defendants about two weeks prior to the home invasion, when he helped repair their houseboat.

His co-defendants told Parsons they had been having problems with their previous housemates from the Southport residence, and asked him for help in securing property left behind.

Parsons’ main role was helping the pair gain access to the residence, Ms Brady said.

“There’s no evidence [my client] had any idea what would unfold,” she added.

Once inside, a male occupant was bashed unconscious, but Ms Brady said Parsons himself threw no punches, and in fact had tried to check on the welfare of the bashed man.

His common assault charge related to grabbing a female occupant by the shoulders and guiding her away from the violent scene.

Five days later, on October 16, police attended an address at Southport to take up with the defendant, who jumped a fence and fled before being apprehended after a foot chase.

Parsons has been remanded in pre-sentence custody since, a period of about seven months.

The court heard his offending was committed in breach of a New South Wales community corrections order.

Parsons had a criminal history in both NSW and Queensland, with dated entries for AOBH on both histories (2003 in Queensland, 2016 in NSW).

Ms Brady told the court her client was a father-of-five who emigrated from New Zealand in 2000 after cutting ties with his family when both of his sisters entered relationships with gang members.

He had work in fields including commercial fishing, labouring, concreting, and landscaping, but was a long-term cannabis user who had fallen on hard times recently, including stints of homelessness.

Magistrate Veena Goverdhan sentenced Parsons to six months’ imprisonment and declared time served, meaning he would be released from custody.

One of his co-defendants is disputing their charges and the matter is listed for hearing later in the year.

Originally published as Lee Moana Parsons pleads guilty to nine charges including assault occasioning bodily harm