Ricky Owen Edward Bailey pleads guilty to assault

A 32-year-old man has narrowly avoided jail for a shocking, unprovoked attack at a Burnett Heads pub which left the victim in need of a thousand dollars’ worth of dental work.

A 32-year-old man has narrowly avoided jail for a shocking unprovoked attack on a another man that left the victim in need of a thousand dollars’ worth of dental work.

The 23-year-old victim was sitting at a table at the Lighthouse Hotel at Burnett Heads enjoying drinks with friends on July 31 when Ricky Owen Edward Bailey, 32, approached their table to confront another person he was upset with.

The 23-year-old, af friend of the person Bailey confronted, tried to intervene and calm him down.

In response Bailey lashed out and struck him in the face with a closed fist.

The victim suffered a split lip, dysfunction of a jaw joint, lacerations and a scratch to the ear and collarbone and had to pay $1155 in dental bills.

Ricky Owen Edward Bailey, 32, pleaded guilty to assaulting a man at a Burnett Heads pub.

Bailey’s lawyer Matt Molloy told the court his client was under significant stress at work and had just finished work on a major contract at the time of the offence.

“He’s a metal worker with his own business and subcontracts exclusively to one company,” Mr Molloy said.

“He’s quite aghast at his behaviour and it is significantly out of character for this gentleman.

“He is willing to pay restitution of $2000.”

The court heard the defendant also had two young children, but sometimes had to work away and was susceptible to drug and alcohol issues.

Bailey assaulted the man at the Lighthouse Pub at Burnett Heads

Magistrate Trinity McGarvie took into account the circumstances surrounding the assault, including Bailey’s guilty plea at the earliest opportunity, but still considered to a term of imprisonment.

“This was an unprovoked assault in a licensed premises by a mature man on a young person who was minding his own business,” she said.

“It’s not to say that the $2000 can, however, compensate someone at 23 years of age being put through the experience of having someone come up to them for no discernible reason, physically assault them, and cause them to have such injuries they require dental work.

“There’s no allegation that the attack continued while someone was crying on the ground, there was more than one strike or he has propensity for violence.”

Bailey’s charge sheet included driving under the influence of alcohol on September 23.

“On the night of drink driving, he was away from family,” Mr Molloy said.

“He felt fine to drive, but made a serious misjudgment.”

Bailey had since rectified his behaviour by cutting alcohol out of his life and joining a gym, the court was told.

Bailey pleaded guilty to the charges and was ordered to pay $2000 to the victim over a period of three months.

He received a $350 fine, lost his licence for one month was given a nine-month jail term wholly suspended for 15 months.