Keegan James Sheehan: Man’s horrific assault on teen outside courthouse

A man has been jailed after he inflicted a brutal attack on a teen boy at the Dalby courthouse, assaulted a police officer and committed a string of reckless vehicle-related crimes.

A man who repeatedly punched a teenage boy in the head during a shocking assault in a packed Dalby courthouse has been slapped with jail time.

Keegan James Sheehan assaulted a 17-year-old boy who was sitting at the courthouse on June 7.

The Dalby Magistrates Court was told the 20-year-old man believed the boy was involved in destroying and ransacking his late mother’s property, claiming a heated conversation at the courthouse regarding Sheehan’s stepchildren led to the assault.

Police prosecutor Derek Brady said the victim suffered a split eyebrow, lower lip and grazed knuckles.

In a separate incident months prior, Sheehan attacked a police officer in a wild outburst following a road rage incident.

When the officer attempted to de-escalate tensions between Sheehan and a group of people, the situation turned violent.

The court heard Sheehan yelled “Leave me the f—k alone”, before he attacked the policeman.

“When the officer grabbed him, he ripped his arm away and began hitting him in the upper torso,” Sergeant Brady said.

Lawyer Claire Graham said her client struggled with his mental health after the death of his mother two years ago.

Magistrate Andrew Cridland condemned the man, who appeared by video link in court, for his “total disregard” of the law.

Sheehan pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, assaulting police, public nuisance, trespass and contravening a police order.

He also pleaded guilty to a string of vehicle-related charges including driving to make unnecessary smoke, driving without a licence, driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, and evading police.

Sheehan, who spent 49 days in pre-sentence custody, was sentenced to 50 days’ jail and placed on parole on July 27. He was also placed on 18 months’ probation and disqualified from driving for two years.