Steven Lester Jones to defend assault charge without lawyer
A 68-year-old man accused of a brutal assault that allegedly wiped another man’s memory steadfastly said he would defend himself, as DNA evidence in the case is caught in a problematic testing backlog.
A 68-year-old South Burnett man accused of leaving another man with a traumatic brain injury so severe he has no memory of how he was hurt will defend himself at trial.
Steven Lester Jones is facing one charge of grievous bodily harm over an incident that allegedly took place at a private property in the South Burnett in August, 2022.
Kingaroy District Court heard last week the alleged victim would not be called to give evidence and did not provide a statement to police due to the serious brain injury he suffered.
The crown prosecutor, who appeared by phone, told the court the complainant could not remember what happened and therefore was not able to provide evidence in his own case.
The court heard there were no other eyewitnesses at the scene of the alleged attack.
The prosecutor told the court the alleged victim suffered a “substantial injury” that could not be explained by the defendant’s version of events, and that no one else was at the property when it occurred.
According to the crown, Mr Jones made statements on a Triple 0 call that could be taken to be admissions of involvement, and gave different accounts as to what happened on other occasions.
The court heard the case had faced significant delays as the Forensic Science Queensland laboratory, which is responsible for processing DNA evidence for matters from around the state, faces a substantial backlog.
The prosecution have submitted blood spatter from the alleged crime scene to be tested.
Previous reports revealed delays in the testing of DNA have blown out to an estimated two-and-a-half years.
As of October of this year, the lab reportedly had a backlog of more than 38,000 samples waiting to be tested.
In addition, the court was told the case would not be prioritised ahead of sexual assault matters, cases involving child victims, or murder allegations, which are reportedly treated as higher priority than assault cases.
The prosecutor said she was hopeful the DNA results would be delivered over the next few months, which would allow a trial to be scheduled early next year.
Mr Jones also appeared over the phone, and was not represented by a lawyer.
He told the court he believed he was “quite capable of defending himself”, and that he did not plan on engaging a legal team.
Judge Long said there might be “complicated issues” with the case, which a lawyer could possibly help with, and encouraged Mr Jones to look into getting legal advice.
The case was adjourned until January 21 for a mention.
