Coward punch victim Jason Lindsley and fiancee Sarah Lake tell SA court attacker’s actions will not keep them down, define their lives

MORE than two years after a cowardly punch nearly claimed his life, assault victim Jason Lindsley and his fiancee have confronted his attacker face-to-face.

MORE than two years after a cowardly punch nearly claimed his life, assault victim Jason Lindsley and his fiancee have confronted his attacker face-to-face.

In the District Court today, Mr Lindsley and his bride-to-be, Sarah Lake, vowed they would let neither Ali Joubouri, nor his gutless crime, define the rest of their lives.

Standing tall amid tears, Ms Lake read the victim impact statements she and Mr Lindsley had written, following Joubouri’s unexpected confession last month.

“I’m very angry with you because of the cowardly act that you did ... it has pulled me back in life,” she said, reading from Mr Lindsley’s statement.

“I’ve had to learn how to walk, talk, think, eat and read again (but) I’m not going to let this or you keep me down.”

From her own statement, she added: “Your actions have not only hurt Jason but impacted myself, our family and our friends.

“However, we will not let you or your actions determine our lives ... what you did was inexcusable and we will forever live with the repercussions.

“I hope no one suffers like Jason has, or worse, at your hands.”

Joubouri, 22, of Walkley Heights, last month pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious harm to Mr Lindsley.

He had initially pleaded not guilty to one count of causing serious harm with intent, and had been due to stand trial in January.

In August 2012, Joubouri assaulted Mr Lindsley outside Zhivago nightclub.

The attack left the young man with a serious brain injury that required three separate surgeries and months of intensive rehabilitation at Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre.

Mr Lindsley continues to require physical and psychological treatment but returned to full-time work in June last year.

In his statement today, Mr Lindsley outlined the months of pain, frustration and anger he endured because of Joubouri’s craven assault.

“When I scratched my head, half of it was gone ... I get headaches if I stand up too quickly or laugh too hard,” he said.

He said having “to be careful with everything I do” was a burden, given his love of extreme sports, cars and four-wheel driving.

“I have lost my sense of smell ... I miss smelling the salty sea air and my fiancee’s perfume,” he said.

“I’m sad I will never experience the smell of my newborn child when we have children.”

Ms Lake said she experienced feelings of loneliness, vulnerability and helplessness seeing “my strong man” so close to death, and then struggling to recover.

“It’s hard seeing him (get) so frustrated trying to do the things that seem so normal to us ... his recovery is inspirational,” she said.

In another victim impact statement, Mr Lindsley’s mother, Sue, said the experience had been “every parent’s nightmare”.

“I’d never before heard ‘one punch can kill’, now I hear it everywhere ... this act nearly took my son’s life,” she said.

“We are fortunate, one of the few families that have our son alive after cowardly, drunken violence.”

In his statement, Mr Lindsley’s father Doug said he was “so proud” of “my son and his beautiful partner” for their tenacity and perseverance.

“This unbearable experience has torn my life apart and my family has been changed ... we have been through something no parent should experience,” he said.

Judge Rauf Soulio remanded Joubouri in custody for further sentencing submissions in three weeks.