Brothers fight on highway in front of pub, stopping traffic

A man who got into a fight with his brother at a Central Queensland pub, stopped highway traffic as he restrained his brother on the road.

The Grand Hotel, Mount Morgan. Photo: Tamara MacKenzie / The Morning Bulletin

A man who got into a fight with his brother at a Central Queensland pub, stopped highway traffic as he restrained his brother on the road.

Justin Phillip Baxter, 30, pleaded guilty on July 15 in Rockhampton Magistrates Court to one count of public nuisance and one of obstructing police in a public place while intoxicated.

Police prosecutor Courtney Brown said police were called to the Grand Hotel in Mount Morgan about 11pm on June 27 in relation to two males fighting.

She said when they arrived, Baxter had another male – his brother – restrained on the ground on the roadway with both men screaming and yelling.

Ms Brown said the brother clearly did not want to be restrained.

She said witnesses told police the pair were brothers and they had been fighting other patrons inside the hotel.

Ms Brown said police witnessed several people watching the fight.

“Cars were also blocked from travelling on the road (the Burnett Highway),” she said.

Ms Brown said police told Baxter to release his brother, but he refused.

She said QAS were in attendance to treat the brother who had a head wound, but were unable to do so while Baxter was restraining his brother and behaving violently.

Ms Brown said when police arrested Baxter, he resisted.

“The defendant tried to crawl away,” she said.

“He pulled his arms away from police.”

Ms Brown said police told him to stop obstructing but he continued.

She said there were three public nuisance convictions on his record, some of them quite dated – 2017, 2015 and 2012.

Defence lawyer Rebecca Winning said her client was on a disability pension due to an intellectual disability.

She said he was at the pub with his brother when he got into an argument with another person and a fight broke out.

Ms Winning said Baxter claimed since the incident, he only drank alcohol at home.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale told Baxter he might want to consider not drinking at all given his history indicated he got into trouble when he did.

She placed Baxter on a six-month probation order and ordered he complete 40 hours community service in six months.

Convictions were recorded.