Scott James Randell pleads not guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm

A jury has handed down its verdict in an assault case over an incident involving a housemate’s former partner. Read the outcome.

Day 2: A Mackay jury has found a man not guilty of assault over an incident involving his housemate’s former partner.

A court heard Scott James Randell had been involved in a heated clash with Jeffrey Harris at the latter’s South Mackay home on January 16, 2021.

Mr Harris had alleged in Mackay District Court that Mr Randell had punched him in the eye before putting him in a headlock and repeatedly striking his face.

Mr Randell pleaded not guilty to assault, claiming he had been defending himself and Mr Harris’s former partner, who had also been at the incident location.

Crown prosecutor Siobhan Harrison had urged the jury to consider the evidence placed before them during the two-day trial, labelling Mr Harris as an “honest and reliable witness”.

“There is no evidence before you of Jeffrey assaulting anyone,” Ms Harrison said, later adding Mr Randell’s alleged conduct was “not a reasonable reaction in the circumstance”.

The jury heard Mr Harris’s former partner had arrived at his home, but there was contention about whether or not he raised his voice or had been screaming in her face.

Barrister Scott McLennan had suggested his client had only became involved after seeing Mr Harris screaming at the woman, who was his friend and housemate, calling her derogatory names and threatening to kill her.

Mr Harris was not charged with any offence.

Mr McLennan suggested Mr Randell had stepped in between the two and slapped Mr Harris’s face, before the two became involved in a fight where both men threw punches.

“If someone is attacking you, you have the right to defend yourself,” Mr McLennan said, adding the defence extended to protecting others.

After a short deliberation the jury returned a not guilty verdict on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Randell was discharged.

Day 1: A South Mackay man has been grilled over the circumstances behind why his former partner’s housemate allegedly punched him multiple times.

Jeffrey Harris told Mackay District Court he had been speaking to the mother of his child when she arrived at his home on January 16, 2021 to return some property.

When he stepped outside, he says he was bashed.

But defence barrister Scott McLennan challenged this claim.

He suggested Mr Harris had been screaming in the woman’s face and calling her a “dirty sl-t” when Scott James Randell stepped between them to slap him, sparking a heated clash where both men threw punches.

Mr Randell, a housemate of the woman, has pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm at South Mackay over the incident.

Crown Prosecutor Siobhan Harrison told a seven-woman, five-man jury the issue was not if Mr Randell had struck Mr Harris, but “whether or not (he) had any lawful reason” for the assault.

Mr Harris said he had been asleep when his former partner arrived at the home he shared with his mother asking to speak to him about 10am.

The court heard she had been returning a jumper and a knife and had been upset about her car, which was having issues when Mr Harris mentioned he spoke over her that she was not meant to be at the house without permission.

Mr Harris said he left the house, walking across the entertainment area at the home towards the woman, who started walking back.

He said when he stepped outside “that’s when I got hit”.

“Did you see anything before you got hit?” Ms Harrison said.

“I heard like footsteps I guess running. I turned to my left at which point I seen somebody running towards me,” Mr Harris said, adding it was Mr Randell.

A jury found Mr Randell not guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Mr Harris said he felt “a lot of pain”. “It just happened so fast,” he said.

Mr Harris told the court Mr Randell put him in a headlock and punched him four to six times in the face also causing him to body slam into a fence around the property.

He said he picked up a piece of timber and ran after the pair, who got into a car, before heaving the wood in their direction but said it landed about one metre in front of him.

Barrister Scott McLennan asked Mr Harris if, during his conversation with his former partner, he had been screaming in her face, called her a “dirty little sl-t” and “said something like, I’ll kill you”.

Mr Harris said no.

Mr McLennan suggested his client had stepped between the two, pushing the woman back and slapping Mr Harris across the face saying “I warned you” before Mr Harris tried to punch his client.

Mr Harris said no.

The court heard Mr Harris had previously threatened to kill his former partner and called her derogatory names like a “dirty sl-t … and a dirty whore”, to which he said yes.

Mr McLennan suggested about two weeks before this alleged assault Mr Harris had a run-in with the woman and called her derogatory names and “hit her across the head”. He said he had just been helping her move and denied any hit.

“And Mr Randell said to you, you have some manners, do it again and I’ll flog you,” Mr McLennan said.

Mr Harris said the warning had been about him borrowing his former partner’s last $50 for fuel and that he needed to pay it back.

“This is what happened isn’t it. You were screaming in (the woman’s) face that day causing her to retreat about six metres,

“It was only then that Mr Randell came down the driveway and slapped you in your face causing no injury

“You tried to punch him in the head

“You and Mr Randell had a wrestle where you both threw punches … and as soon as Mr Randell was able to he got away and left with (the woman).

“You chased after them with a lump of wood and hit him on the arm.”

Mr Harris denied these claims.