Mitchell Kieran Joyce pleads guilty to manslaughter of Matthew Hayes

A man has been sentenced for an altercation at a popular pub that left a beloved father and son dead.

Mitchell Kieran Joyce appeared before Bundaberg Magistrates Court for a bail application while on a charge of grievous bodily harm in relation to an altercation at the Lighthouse Hotel on Tuesday.

A man involved in a pub assault that led to another man’s death has been sentenced.

Mitchell Kieran Joyce, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter when he faced Bundaberg Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The charges related to an altercation outside the popular Lighthouse Hotel in Burnett Heads on June 20, 2023.

Matthew Hayes suffered a head injury during the incident after he hit the pavement.

Despite returning to a state of semi-consciousness following the fall, and placing himself on an ambulance stretcher, Mr Hayes was later found to have a skull fracture which led to a brain bleed.

Joyce was initially charged with grievous bodily harm but the charge was upgraded on June 24, 2023, after Mr Hayes’ life support was switched off.

Matthew Hayes suffered a head injury during the incident after his head hit the pavement.

Tragically, his mother, Jule Dowdell, made the decision to turn off life support after medical staff told her “there was no chance that he was coming back”.

“As much as I didn’t want any end to it, you have to make whatever decision works for them, not me,” Mrs Dowdell said at the time.

“And I had to make a decision for his daughter, because she can’t make it for herself.”

Mrs Dowdell was consoled by the knowledge that, with Matthew having registered as an organ donor many years ago, his tragic death would transform the lives of other families.

Joyce was sentenced on Wednesday to seven years in prison by Justice Graeme Crow.

He had already spent 20 months in presentence custody, the court heard, and a parole eligibility date was set for February 2026.

In the wake of his death, heartbroken friends paid tribute to Mr Hayes, telling of his devotion to his 10-year-old daughter who “was his world”.

A single father for most of his daughter’s young life, Matthew had struggled with balancing after school care with working as a welder in Woodford and had moved to Bundaberg in December 2022 to be closer to his family.

Courtney Renee worked at the River Culture Café in Burnett Heads, where Matthew went every afternoon with his daughter.

“Matty would always speak so highly of his daughter and how ‘she was his world’ and she truly was,” Ms Renee said.

“He would always bring her and her friends in and buy them whatever they wanted; they truly were treated like his own.

“He devoted his life to make (his daughter) and her friends happy. He will be truly missed by many. It’s not the same not seeing his face every afternoon.

“RIP Matty you may be gone but you won’t be forgotten.”