Kaleb Bowen pleads guilty to assault causing bodily harm while armed

A verbal stoush quickly erupted into a fight involving multiple people on a suburban Ipswich street.

Kaleb Bowen has been jailed for his role in a street brawl that left a man hospitalised with a head injury.

A violent confrontation erupted between a group of people in the middle of a busy Ipswich road, ending with a man being felled by a rock to the back of the head.

The victim spent a night in hospital, with the offender going before Ipswich District Court on Tuesday for sentence.

Video recorded by a dash-camera and Ipswich Safe City camera footage was tended as prosecution evidence before Judge Dennis Lynch QC.

Already serving jail time, Kaleb Bowen, 22, from Booval, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm when armed with an offensive instrument and in company to Oka Gideon Lofipo, at North Ipswich on Saturday, August 8, 2020.

Crown prosecutor Amy Stannard said the violence began with a verbal argument between the Mr Lofipo and Bowen outside a house.

The court heard a woman was involved in the initial exchange.

Mr Lofipo said he told Bowen: “If you wanna have a one-on-one with a girl then you should have a go at me”.

Mr Lofipo had walked to the house from his nearby home after his partner told him that her sister was involved in an argument.

The court heard he walked back home after speaking to Bowen, then returned holding two long pieces of timber.

The Crown alleged he did this in the belief that other people were about to arrive at the scene.

A car stopped and a man and a woman got out and a physical exchange took place with Mr Lofipo quickly overwhelmed and dropping the two pieces of timber.

The court was told Bowen was not physically involved in the melee until after the timber was dropped.

Ms Stannard said Bowen then struck Mr Lofipo in the back of his head with a rock.

She said a person either kicked Mr Lofipo or stomped on his head while he was on the ground, but camera vision was obscured by a pole.

It was accepted that the blow from the rock caused the head injury.

Ms Stannard said Bowen went in with the rock and struck once and continued to swing at Mr Lofipo, who stumbled and fell to the ground.

The injury was a haematoma of about 5cm by 3cm.

The court heard that at the time, Bowen was on parole for unrelated prior offences, and had since spent 10 ½ months in jail.

The two other people involved were sentenced earlier this year for their roles in the incident.

Antoine Colin Anderson, 20, from Brassall, was sentenced to 18-months jail for assault causing bodily harm when armed and in company. He was also sentenced on other unrelated charges including burglary and unlawful use of a motor vehicle. He received parole release after serving 177 days in jail.

Jade Teresa Stelling, 31, pleaded guilty to common assault. She spent 175 days in jail and was granted parole.

Defence barrister Justin Thomas said Bowen maintained what was actually said was: “If you want to have a go, let‘s have a go”.

He denied saying the words (to Mr Lofipo) when they first spoke in the street about a fight, “sweet, my boys are gonna be here soon”.

He said the fact that Mr Lofipo had armed himself with pieces of timber put the fight into context.

“Ultimately he did not suffer significant injuries. Perhaps that was good fortune for him and Mr Bowen,” Mr Thomas said.

He noted that the camera evidence showed a scuffle and the two sticks swung by Mr Lofipo before being disarmed, with one stick seen to fly through the air.

“There are a lot of swings and misses,” Mr Thomas said.

“Mr Anderson lands one substantial blow then Mr Bowen lands a blow with the rock.”

Judge Lynch said Mr Lofipo was quickly overwhelmed and lost his timber before Bowen joined in and struck him with the rock to the back of the head.

The victim had been struck several times by Anderson.

Judge Lynch took into account his existing jail term and sentenced Bowen to four months jail. He can begin to make his application for parole immediately.