Man jailed for ‘cowardly’ attack on disabled man in Mackay
IT WAS late at night when three men attacked and robbed a disabled man.
IT WAS late at night when three men attacked and robbed a disabled man.
The 31-year-old was defenceless when he was punched without warning in the cowardly attack.
He fell to the ground and was kicked six or seven times and dirt was kicked in his face.
"It would have been a frightening experience for the complainant... particularly due to his vulnerability," Crown prosecutor Brendan Manttan said.
It can't be alleged that Grenville Alan Burke, then 36, delivered any of the blows, but he was a party to the offence, Mr Manttan said.
The father-of-three pleaded guilty in the District Court in Mackay to robbery in company where personal violence was used.
The victim, who suffered an acquired brain injury and partial paralysis from a traffic crash in 1997, had been drinking at a pub on September 30, 2012, when he saw a man he knew with a group and began chatting, the court was told.
They decided to go to Burke's home to continue drinking and the victim joined them. During the walk, the victim left the group and shortly afterwards the attack occurred.
The victim heard one man yell "grab his stuff". His wallet and house key were taken.
He received a cut lip, chipped tooth, swelling and bruising.
"There was some peer pressure involved in this offence," defence barrister Phillip Moore, for Legal Aid Queensland, said.
"Really, his involvement here is at the minimum. It's been a wake-up for him."
Burke's history included violent assaults, escaping custody and the attempted arson of the Mackay State High School.
"It was a very cowardly thing for you and your colleagues to set upon a disabled man," Judge Hugh Botting said. "Your past criminal history seems to demonstrate that... you've had a problem with alcohol."
Burke, 37, was jailed for three years and will be released on parole after serving eight months on January 23 next year.
Originally published as Man jailed for ‘cowardly’ attack on disabled man in Mackay
