Dahoon ‘Eddie’ Mun charged with grievous bodily harm over alleged Cannonvale assault

A restaurant boss accused of knocking out a former worker and breaking her jaw in two places cried as the jury delivered a not-guilty verdict. DETAILS.

Dahoon 'Eddie' Mun pleaded not guilty to a charge of grievous bodily harm in Mackay District Court. Photo: Zoe Devenport

A restaurant boss accused of knocking out a former worker and breaking her jaw in two places cried as the jury delivered a not-guilty verdict.

Dahoon ‘Eddie’ Mun was charged with causing grievous bodily harm over an assault against a female ex-employee outside her rented Cannonvale home on July 22, 2022.

Mr Mum had pleaded not guilty to the assault against Sarah Whiteley, who worked for him at his Airlie Beach restaurant d’Viet House.

District Court Judge Jennifer Rosengren told the jury the only element they had to be satisfied with was whether or not the act of causing grievous bodily harm was unlawful.

It was alleged Mr Mum struck Ms Whiteley with his hand causing the breaks to her jaw.

The court heard it was not disputed that he caused the breaks or that they were considered to be grievous bodily harm.

Mr Mun alleged the assault was lawful “in that it occurred in self defence or was an accident” because Ms Whiteley had been physical with him during the argument.

The jury began their deliberations about 11.45am with a not-guilty verdict delivered at 2.59pm.

Mr Mun was formally discharged.

Trial day 2 – Claims of violent threats, ‘dead dad’ lies in restaurant worker knockout trial

An ex-employee allegedly knocked out by her former boss had made violent threats towards him and his family after she wagged work with a car he had lent her, a court heard.

Eddie Mun was found not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to a former employee.

Mackay District Court heard Dahoon ‘Eddie’ Mun had come to Sarah Whiteley’s rental home in Cannonvale about 10pm on July 22, 2022, after an issue with a borrowed car blew up and left her with a jaw broken in two places.

Mr Mun had pleaded not guilty to the charge of grievous bodily harm.

Mr Mun had lent Ms Whiteley a car to help her commute to work at his Airlie Beach restaurant d’Viet House and had reported it stolen on July 18, which was returned the next day.

Ms Whiteley was from the United Kingdom and had worked for Mr Mun with an understanding that they would sponsor her visa.

She appeared via videolink from Leeds and said she had hazy memories of threatening and harassing messages she sent in the days before the incident.

Defence barrister Benjamin Taylor showed a video of a phone call Mr Mun received on July 22 from a “furious” Ms Whiteley.

“I just got back f--king home and the landlady said you’d been round to my f--king house,” Ms Whiteley is heard on his phone’s loudspeaker.

“You’re taking the piss.

‘I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR FAMILY’S LIFE APART’

“Listen Eddie, you didn’t realise who you employed because I’m going to rip your family’s life f--king apart so you better get the police involved because you’ll f--king need it.”

“Yeah go for it whatever,” Mr Mun replies.

Mr Taylor said her text to “make sure your seatbelts are tight fastened for everyone, especially the little ones (halo emoji)” was threatening violence on Mr Mun’s young family.

Ms Whiteley said she had sent angry messages while intoxicated but meant no physical harm, saying she had considered making a complaint against his restaurant.

She admitted to lying about her father passing away after missing shifts and then doubling down on the lie, despite confirming her dad had been alive in Spain at the time.

Dahoon 'Eddie' Mun pleaded not guilty in Mackay District Court to a charge of grievous bodily harm. Photo: Zoe Devenport

“I hope you’re f--ing joking Eddie that’s my dead dad your [sic] talking about”, Mr Taylor read from a screenshot of their texts.

“I’m a million miles away from home and currently on hold for the last 30 mins [sic] checking my ID so I can process my dad’s dead body back to the UK because once again my brother is a complete d--k and leaves everything to everything.”

Ms Whiteley said she thought she had unfettered access to the car while both Mr Mun and his wife Atina testified it had been for work.

Mr Mun gave evidence at his trial through a Mandarin interpreter and said Ms Whiteley had grabbed at his neck before he slapped her with his right hand.

“It would not be becoming of a man to use a closed fist against a woman,” Mr Mun said.

“I didn’t have any intention of punching or hitting, I had an open palm which I used to get her off me.”

The court heard Mr Mun admit he thought her fall to the ground had been “a performance” and yelled at her, before he then told the Cannonvale home’s owners to call an ambulance and the police.

Dr Umair Ansari had assisted in the surgery Ms Whiteley required after the incident caused a bilateral mandible fracture.

The court heard her fractures, with her jaw broken on the right of her chin and under her left ear, were likely caused by “high energy” force.

The trial continues with Mr Mun’s cross-examination.

Trial day 1 – ‘Get up c***’: Restaurant boss allegedly breaks employee’s jaw

Crown prosecutor Zachary Caplan began his opening statement at Mr Mun’s trial with the defendant’s alleged words from an encounter which, he said, Ms Whiteley had no memory of after her injury.

“Get up you f***ing c***,” Mr Caplan said.

“Those are the words Mr Mun said to Sarah Whiteley as she lay unconscious on a driveway.

“After Sarah’s lifeless body was laying on the ground, emergency services attended (and) she was diagnosed with what’s called a bilateral mandible fracture. In layman’s terms, it’s a fracture of her jaw on both sides.”

Mr Caplan said the rental home’s owners answered the door initially and heard Mr Mun “raving and pacing” incoherently before Ms Whiteley came out to the driveway.

“Two days before the offending … the car had been returned, Sarah was no longer working for Mr Mun,” Mr Caplan said.

“The pair exchanged messages (with) threats from the complainant towards the defendant and his family, and the defendant was quite abhorrent in the way he spoke to her.”

Mr Taylor, instructed by Brisbane Criminal Lawyers, asked the four woman, eight man jury to consider both Mr Mun’s actions as self-defence and Ms Whiteley’s injury as a “tragic accident”.

“The purpose of this statement from the defence is not to tell a story or to shock you with quotes taken out of context,” Mr Taylor said.