Reech Amol sentenced in Ipswich for ‘consensual’ Toowoomba street fight

A man who threw down a “challenge” to a teenager outside a Toowoomba hotel has come to regret it after being brutally beaten and left with a costly dental bill.

The scene of a Toowoomba CBD assault on June 2, 2022. Picture: Google Maps

A man who threw down a “challenge” to a teenager before engaging in a “consensual fight” outside a Toowoomba hotel has come to regret it after being brutally beaten and left with a costly dental bill.

Toowoomba resident Reech David Deng Amol, 19, pleaded guilty in Ipswich District Court on December 15 to two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm in company.

The court heard Amol and an unidentified co-offender were approached by two men on Ruthven Street, Toowoomba around 4am on June 2 after they left the Shamrock Hotel.

One of the men threw down his hat and coat onto the path in front of Amol, who the court heard interpreted the action as a “challenge to fight”.

Judge Dennis Lynch said that same man initiated what started as a “consensual fight”.

However, Amol and his accomplice quickly gained the upper hand.

Crown prosecutor Emily Coley said the confrontation “clearly escalated well beyond (a mutual fight)” and became a “prolonged assault” in which Amol and his accomplice continued to kick and punch the two men for some time.

The brutal beating only stopped when a nearby council worker heard the victims’ pleas for help and flagged down a police officer.

The man, who initially triggered the confrontation, suffered bruising to his forehead and eye, along with multiple broken teeth, which required significant dental work.

The other man suffered swelling and a laceration to the bridge of his nose, a bruised left eye and a large bruise on his leg.

CCTV footage helped police identify Amol, who was arrested and spent the next 193 days in presentence custody waiting for his sentence, which Judge Lynch noted was a “significant period for a young person”.

The court heard Amol had a short but relevant criminal history including one count of possessing a knife in a public place when he was 18.

“You should understand Mr Amol that violence is not acceptable and if you engage in further violence in future you can expect the sentences will get longer not shorter,” Judge Lynch said.

Amol was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended immediately for 18 months.

His presentence custody of 193 days was declared time-served and convictions were recorded.