Alexander Patterson pleads guilty to serious assault over Christmas attack

A Christmas decoration was behind a Bucasia grandfather’s decision to attack his neighbour, grabbing her throat and throwing her to the ground.

Alexander Patterson, 75, pleaded guilty to serious assault against a neighbour over her musical Christmas wreath. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Tension over a musical Christmas wreath blew up when a Bucasia grandfather threw his neighbour to the ground by her throat after she refused to take the decoration down.

The 75 year old had already ordered the woman to remove the motion-detecting festive display that rang out Jingle Bells, threatening to “take an axe to it”.

“You can take that f***ing thing down, all the neighbours can hear it,” Alexander Patterson told the 64-year-old victim.

The pair lived at a unit complex on Waverly St. About 5.30pm on December 13, 2022, Patterson entered her backyard, angry about the wreath.

Prosecutor Lennon Stathoulis told Mackay Magistrates Court the victim refused and Patterson “has then grabbed her by the throat with both … hands and has thrown her to the ground”.

The court heard the pressure “was enough for her to think she was going to pass out”.

Alexander Patterson, 75, pleaded guilty to serious assault against a neighbour over her musical Christmas wreath. Picture: Janessa Ekert

When police spoke to Patterson he told them the victim “started on him” before he grabbed her throat.

Mr Stathoulis said Patterson told police: “In the end I lost the plot, I grabbed the Pommy c*** by the throat, picked her up and threw her on the f***ing ground.”

Paterson, who has no criminal history, pleaded guilty to serious assault of a person over 60 years.

Defence solicitor Brigid Paterson said her client had lived at the complex for 16 years and there had been a “history of animosity” with the victim, who had lived there for two years.

The court heard the Christmas wreath “sung the Jingle Bells chorus repeatedly” after Paterson had performed yard work for most of the day.

The 75 year old attempted to shield his face as he left Mackay courthouse. Picture: Janessa Ekert

“It was about 5pm in the afternoon when he returned back to his unit, he’s sitting outside, the noise from the Jingle Bells chorus played over and over and that caused substantial annoyance to him,” Ms Paterson said.

“My client instructs me that when she refused to remove it she was up in his face that’s when he, in the heat of the moment, overreacted.”

The court heard Paterson’s ex spouse, who had been at the victim’s home at the time, picked up a steel chair and struck him multiple times to the head and knee area.

“He sustained significant injuries,” Ms Paterson said.

The court heard he had been under emotional and financial stress at the time of the attack and there was no evidence to suggest the victim sustained any injuries.

The court heard when Paterson was 10 years old his brothers, who were then aged 11 and 12, tragically died in a 1960 plane crash in Mackay.

Acting Magistrates Ron Muirhead accepted Patterson’s conduct was out of character. Picture: Janessa Ekert

On June 10 the TAA Fokker Friendship plane crashed while circling Mackay airport killing all 29 people on board – it stands as Australia’s worst commercial air disaster.

Acting Magistrate Ron Muirhead accepted it was a “one off thing, unlikely to happen again”.

“You’ve never been in trouble before. I accept that that behaviour was out of character,” he said.

“Jingle Bells being played over and over and over … which might have been annoying, but you certainly overreacted.”

Mr Muirhead decided a jail term would be unjust and placed Patterson on a $1000 six-month good behaviour bond. He must also pay $1000 compensation.

A conviction was not recorded.