Borallon inmate’s emergency brain surgery after Joseph James Milanov’s brutal attack

A Gold Coast man has faced sentence for assaulting a fellow inmate and continuing to attack him even after prison staff separated them – with his victim ultimately falling unconscious and requiring emergency brain surgery.

A court has heard how a brutal prison yard assault left an inmate with life-threatening brain injuries and fractures around his eye.

Helensvale man Joseph James Milanov, 30, pleaded guilty in Ipswich District Court on September 30, 2022, to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Judge Dennis Lynch said Milanov was in custody at Borallon Correctional Centre on July 31, 2021, when he punched a fellow inmate in a “surprise attack”.

The other man stumbled, while Milanov continued to punch and headbutt him.

The two were separated by prison staff and moved into the prison yard, where Milanov attacked the man again.

Judge Lynch said Milanov threw a “flurry of punches” at his head, while the man tried to cover himself.

He ultimately fell and hit his head against the concrete floor and fell unconscious.

The man suffered bleeding on the surface of his brain, fractures to his eye socket, lacerations and bruising, and underwent an emergency craniotomy.

“If that hadn’t been done, his life was in danger,” said Judge Lynch.

The court heard Milanov had previously been sentenced in December, 2018, for possessing a large quantity of a schedule one drug, and was later sentenced November, 2019, for four counts of common assault and wilful damage.

Milanov served some time in custody for the 2018 drug offending before being released on parole; however his parole was later suspended and he was taken into custody again in April, 2021.

He was further sentenced in June, 2021, for disqualified driving, and was awaiting parole release at the time of his most recent offending.

Judge Lynch noted Milanov started using drugs at a young age and had previously suffered from psychosis.

“You have not provided me with any details which would explain your reason for committing the offence, but I would accept without hesitation that the prison environment is a difficult one,” he said.

“Whatever the reason for this, in the end it’s unacceptable to engage in violence upon another person to resolve disputes.”

Milanov was sentenced to two years imprisonment, immediately suspended for a two year operational period, and 170 days of pre-sentence custody were declared time-served.

“If you can stay away from [using drugs] … there’s no reason you can’t have a productive future … That’s what all of us would like to see,” said Judge Lynch.