Pony Club assault ends in $5000 compensation

Noosa Equestrian Centre owner Peter Fitzgerald was in court today

GUILTY: Peter Fitzgerald and the Gympie District Court, where he pleaded guilty today to assault occasioning bodily harm during a Gympie Pony Club event at his equestrian centre. Picture: Renee Albrecht

RESPECTED Gympie businessman and Noosa Equestrian Centre owner Peter Allan Fitzgerald walked away from Gympie District Court today with a hefty community service sentence and a $5000 compensation bill.

The 49-year-old Tandur man pleaded guilty to assaulting a man in front a crowd of people at his equestrian centre during a Pony Club event on May 24 last year.

The court heard the centre owner became angry when he saw children warming up on their horses in an area that was out of bounds.

“Do you think this looks like a f***ing warm up area?”, he yelled at the children before abusing a nearby mother.

On hearing of the tirade directed at the children, a father of one of the riders approached Fitzgerald, calling him a “lad” and interrupting his conversation with someone else.

Fitzgerald then became enraged and grabbed the man by the arm and punched him in the face before putting him in a headlock, the court heard.

He continued to punch the man in the ribs while gripping his neck and only let go when nearby witnesses restrained him and the victim poked his fingers into his eyes to break free of the grip.

The court heard the centre owner then yelled at the complainant –“Get you and your f***ing horses off my property” before getting onto a tractor, which he revved loudly as he left the area.

Shortly afterwards an announcement came across the loud speaker that the event was cancelled and everyone was told to pack up and go home.

Crown prosecutor J. O’Brien said the conduct was inexplicable and while the victim’s physical injuries were minor, he had suffered anxiety since the attack.

She had serious concerns about the defendant’s issues of anger management, directing the court to two previous charges of public nuisance from the 1980s that involved Fitzgerald demonstrating violent behaviour.

Fitzgerald’s lawyer said his client, a civil engineer, had a substantial and highly-regarded working history in the construction industry in which he had never had any problem with anger. He said his client had had many frustrations with the visiting pony club that played out on the day.

“You will have learnt something as an intelligent man from this process,” Judge Long told him as he issued 240 hours of community service and ordered him to pay $5000 compensation by 4pm today.

No conviction was recorded.