Matthew Clark glassed patron at the Links Hotel during UFC fight night, court told

A man eyelid was partially severed as he was left with a permanent disability after being glassed while watching a UFC match, a court’s heard.

A “violent thug” was triggered by alcohol and being in the testosterone-fuelled atmosphere of a UFC mixed martial arts fight night when he glassed a man, nearly severing the victim’s eyelid and leaving him with permanent vision impairment, a court has heard.

Matthew Clark, 28, pleaded guilty in the District Court to recklessly causing serious harm to the victim during the incident at the Links Hotel in Seaton in February 2020.

On Wednesday Judge Paul Muscat heard that the victim and Clark were not known to each other but had both been present at a UFC fight night held at the hotel.

The victim had been “arching up” and was told by a friend of Clark to “f*** off”.

The victim responded by slapping Clark’s friend up the back of the head in a gesture described as telling the man to “pull his head in”.

Clark was filmed on hotel security cameras walking around a table and changing his beer glass to his dominant hand before smashing it into the victim’s face.

He continued to hit the victim until he was pulled off by other patrons.
The blow caused severe damage to the victim’s left eye, including partially severing his eye lid.

Matthew Clark has pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious harm after glassing a man during a UFC night at the Link Hotel. Picture: Facebook

The court received a victim impact statement from the victim which was not read aloud.

However, Judge Muscat noted that the effects on the victim had been devastating and had changed his life forever.

“His face is scared and he has minimum vision in his left eye,” Judge Muscat said.

“He is having to learn to live with this disability.”

A prosecutor told the court Clark had been sentenced for offences of drunken violence before.

In February 2015 he had assaulted two work men who had just started their shift in the early hours of the morning.

Clark was still intoxicated from drinking the night before and had asked one of them for a cigarette.

For those charges he was sentenced to two years in prison but had the sentence suspended.

The sentencing judge at the time described Clark’s actions as those of a “violent thug”.

Stacey Carter, for Clark, said her client had “reacted extremely poorly” to the situation and did not cope well in crowds because of severe anxiety.

She said her client normally took medication but had been not been taking his prescription at the time of the attack.

Judge Muscat noted that Clark had initially lied to police, telling them he had cut his hand on a glass which had been thrown at him.

Clark will appear in court for further sentencing submissions in November.