Boyd Elliott Tass and Aaron Anton Christiansen sentenced for assaulting patrons, staff and security at Andergrove Tavern

Two mates, who refused to follow Covid rules after a mate’s funeral, decided to take it out on bar staff. Read what happened.

Non-compliance with Covid rules led to a disgruntled pair of friends assaulting patrons, staff and security in another iteration of “lengthy” and “persistent” criminal histories.

Boyd Elliott Tass and Aaron Anton Christiansen were arrested after starting a bar fight at Andergrove Tavern, just hours after a friend’s funeral on September 10, 2020.

Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke told Mackay District Court the pair were ignoring Covid rules at the pub when a staff member approached them.

She said Christiansen, 33, pushed a member of the public, which led to the bar staff member asking the group to leave.

Ms O’Rourke said Christiansen began punching the staff member in the face.

“The final blow rendered him unconscious and he fell to the ground,” she said.

A security guard came over to end the fray, but Christiansen pushed him and squeezed his neck, before Christiansen punched another patron of the pub.

Ms O’Rourke said Christiansen continued punching the patron until security put him in a headlock.

Tass, 45, then got involved, punching another patron until the pair recognised each other.

Christiansen and Tass then left the bar, and were arrested the next day.

Ms O’Rourke said Tass was also charged with serious assault with the circumstance of aggravation for a separate incident with police.

He had been admitted to Mackay Base Hospital on July 18, 2020, and police were trying to take him to the watch-house.

“It took six police officers to try to do that,” Ms O’Rourke said.

“When they told him where they were taking him he started making threats and berating the officers.

“He started spitting onto the bed, police warned him to stop.

“A mask was tried to prevent him from spitting but it came off.

“When he was moved into a wheelchair to be taken to transport, he spat blood onto the pants of the officer and he continued to spit blood onto the floor as he was being wheeled away.”

Ms O’Rourke said it was the fourth time Tass had appeared for the serious assault of a police officer, and he otherwise had 24 offences of assaulting or obstructing police, or damaging their property on his criminal history.

She said Tass had a “lengthy” criminal history, but said Christiansen was “persistent” with his offending.

Tass and Christiansen appeared in the prisoner’s dock in Mackay District Court, but were represented separately.

Defence barrister Scott McLennan said once the bar staff member fell to the ground, Christiansen stopped fighting.

“Once he was knocked over by my client and he was on the ground, it was very clear in the CCTV footage my client stopped any assault, and he in fact stepped back,” he said.

“There was no suggestion he ever attempted to carry on the assault once the complainant was rendered unable to defend himself.”

Defence barrister Stephen Byrne, acting for Tass, said his client suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

“He takes medication on a daily basis … he hasn’t used cannabis or alcohol regularly in the past eight to nine years because he found it conflicted with his health medication and made it less helpful,” he said.

“Both instances are certainly towards the lower end of the range, the spit was on the trousers of the officer and his involvement in the bar fight was towards the end with one person only, and it seems to have been a short duration.”

Christiansen was sentenced to 18 months with immediate parole on February 8, 2022, and must pay $1000 compensation to the bar staff member.

Judge Julie Dick sentenced Tass to 18 months jail, to serve six months.

Because he has served 213 days in custody, Tass received immediate parole.