Rockhampton father assaults students trying to break up his son’s schoolyard fight

A Rockhampton father assaulted a teenage girl and a male who tried to stop a fight involving his son which attracted 80-odd spectators.

A Rockhampton father who encouraged his son to fight a school boy who had threatened to “stomp his head in” ended up assaulting two school children who tried to break up the fight which attracted 80-odd spectators.

The father, who cannot legally be identified, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on March 4 to two counts of assault, one of public nuisance and one of parking on a painted traffic island.

Police prosecutor Brandy Butler described the defendant’s behaviour as “disgraceful”.

“This involved violence against a teenage girl who was trying to stop the fight between two of her classmates,” she said.

Defence lawyer Allan Grant said there had been an incident at the high school involving his eldest son with his son being disciplined by the school – suspended for two days – and was followed by a boy threatening to get his mates to “stomp on his (the defendant’s son) head”.

He said his client, concerned for his son, told the boy to “sort it out” and fight the boy threatening to stomp him.

“As it turned out, it only got worse for my client,” Mr Grant said.

He said there was also rumours circulating at the time there was some sort of fight club at the school.

Mr Grant said his client, who is single, had looked after himself since he was 14 as his drug-addicted mother would take the money he earned from a job he had, and he now ran his own business.

The court heard the defendant, who plays A grade rugby league, had more than 100 entries on his traffic record and had been convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and public nuisance in the past.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale said she hoped the defendant had a different message for his son these days that this was not the way to do things going forward.

“You not only condoned a fight, when people with more level heads – including a teenage girl – tried to intervene, you pushed them away,” she said.

“They were trying to do the mature adult thing to stop the fight.”

Ms Beckinsale placed the man on a 12-month probation order and fined him $53 for parking on painted traffic island, which was next to a kerb.

All convictions were recorded.