Jordan Harrison Fry assaulted Whitsunday Tourist Park owner in Bloomsbury

A young man will pay, literally, for his crimes after returning to a caravan park where he had been banned for ‘assaulting people’ and fracturing the 66-year-old owner’s jaw and eye socket.

A young man will pay, literally, for his crimes after returning to a caravan park where he had been banned for ‘assaulting people’ and fracturing the 66-year-old owner’s jaw and eye socket.

A young man has promised several thousand dollars in restitution after a single punch left a 66-year-old caravan park owner with serious injuries.

Jordan Harrison Fry had been banned from the O’Connell River Whitsunday Tourist Park for “assaulting people” when owner Rob Wilson returned from holiday on August 22, 2021 to find him returned under his girlfriend’s name.

Mackay District Court heard the requested police had left and the couple were moving belongings to a field nearby, where the situation devolved as Fry and Mr Wilson held back the girlfriend and a staff member from throwing punches and spitting.

Judge Terry Gardiner said Fry had been shouting about rent being paid back to his girlfriend, yelling at the Mr Wilson to “give her her f--cking money you c--t”.

“You walked over to the complainant and punched the complainant once in the face, just under the eye,” Judge Gardiner said.

“The complainant was knocked to the ground.

“He tried to get up (but you) pushed the complainant back onto the ground (before) you and (your girlfriend) then got in the car and drove off.

Jordan Harrison Fry leaving Mackay Magistrates Court after facing sentence for grievous bodily harm on June 6, 2024. Photo: Zoe Devenport

“I’m told that he reported in November 2021 suffering from headaches and pain (and was) frightened to go to town.”

The court heard Mr Wilson suffered several fractures to his jaw and eye socket, and it is understood he required transport to Townsville University Hospital for medical care.

Fry pleaded guilty to one charge of grievous bodily harm.

Defence barrister Scott McLennan said his client had changed since the incident “almost three years ago”, after receiving what seemed to be a fatal bowel cancer diagnosis at age 28.

“He was given a prognosis of having some months to live (and) having to face his mortality at such a young age … he feels he is a different man now,” Mr McLennan said.

While in hindsight immunotherapy worked “against all odds” to force the cancer into remission, there were several delays in legal matters while Fry fought the disease.

O'Connell River Whitsunday Tourist Park

Mr McLennan argued it was “entirely unclear” why Mr Wilson and his staff member followed Fry and his girlfriend out to the field and argued the assault “wouldn’t have happened” had they left the couple to remove their belongings.

“My client had just seen his girlfriend spat upon, and it was at that point that he finally lost his control and punched the complainant once,” he said.

“My client is very sorry he did so and he’s asked me to apologise to the court and to the complainant for punching him, (and) one concrete way to show his remorse is by offering compensation.”

The court heard Fry had recently returned to work and had $1000 to pay and promised a further $4000 given three months to find the money from tax returns or his mother, who was present in court to support him.

Fry was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment with immediate suspension and ordered to pay the $5000 within three months.

Convictions were recorded.