Adam John Gray sentenced for wine dumping assault at Shamrock Hotel, Mackay

A commercial oil-rig diver having a “very bad day” turned his scorn to a woman who called him out for an act at a hotel which wouldn’t pass the pub test.

Commercial diver Adam John Gray was having a bad day when he dumped a glass of wine on another patron at the Shamrock Hotel. Photo: Fergus Gregg

A commercial oil rig diver dumped a glass of wine over a woman’s head after she asked him not to cut in line at a Mackay hotel.

Adam John Gray had been drinking since midday at the Shamrock Hotel on December 20, 2024 and wasn’t having a good day.

The court heard he’d received bad news and the bar continued to serve him, despite him slurring his words.

Gray approached the bar after 6pm and cut in front of a woman, who was behind another man waiting to be served.

She confronted him and later — when she was at her own seat — Gray approached her and poured a glass of wine over her head.

Gray’s job requires him to dive between 150m and 300m deep and work as a welder on large rigs. Photo: Fergus Gregg

The court heard Gray left the Shamrock Hotel shortly after and in a later interview with police he said he vomited when he got home.

Gray was initially charged with assault occasioning bodily harm while intoxicated, but police prosecutor Matt Saunders offered no evidence and the charge was replaced with common assault.

Gray pleaded guilty to one charge of common assault.

Defence solicitor Andrew Owens said Gray “obviously reacted poorly in the context of having a pretty bad day”.

“In the seven months since this incident he’s taken it on himself to see go see someone,” Mr Owens said.

The court heard Mr Owens was a commercial diver and has worked all over the world, including in Iraq, Mexico, the Philippines and South Korea.

Mr Owens said the job was “extremely stressful” and asked convictions not be recorded as Mr Owen was in talks to start a new job.

“That’s his passion … he’s good at it,” Mr Owens said.

Gray was ordered to pay $500 in compensation to the victim. Photo: Fergus Gregg

The court heard Gray previously received a suspended term of imprisonment for dangerous operation of a vehicle in 2021.

Magistrate Bronwyn Hartigan said “some really positive things have happened for you since you were last in court”.

“You’re very specialised in your work, you’ve travelled all over the world,” Ms Hartigan said.

Ms Hartigan said Gray wasn’t having a “good time” emotionally and said a bar argument was “where emotions run high”.

“Especially when people have been drinking for a long period of time,” Ms Hartigan said.

The court heard Gray offered to pay compensation to the victim and had undertaken voluntary rehabilitation since the offending.

For common assault Gray was fined $500 and ordered to pay $500 to the victim by June 25, 2025.

No convictions were recorded.