Brothers escape jail for attack on rivals

TWO brothers who armed themselves with a machete and baseball bat and assaulted another man last year have narrowly avoided a stint behind bars.

A Coast pensioner has been refused bail after being charged with drug trafficking. Picture: Rockhampton Morning Bulletin

TWO brothers who armed themselves with a machete and baseball bat and assaulted another man last year have narrowly avoided a stint behind bars.

Christian Blaxland and his younger sibling Sean Peter Blaxland - who were 18 and 17 at the time - travelled half an hour to a party at Glen Aplin to track down the victim and his friends on August 25.

Stanthorpe District Court heard the teenagers had all been involved in an ongoing conflict.

Barrister Robbie Davies told the court Sean Blaxland's car had been damaged earlier that evening and after speaking to police, the Blaxland brothers and two other males set out to find the victim's friends.

After a confrontation between the teenagers, Christian Blaxland swung the baseball bat at the victim, hitting him in the leg and inflicting bruises.

Although Sean Blaxland did not carry out any actual violence that evening, Judge Fleur Kingham said the teenager's offending was serious, as he had the potential to cause extreme harm with the machete.

Judge Kingham chastised the teenagers and acknowledged Christian Blaxland was the "driving force" behind the assault.

"Whatever the motive was, there was absolutely no justification for both of you going to the property with two others that night, armed with weapons," she said.

The brothers pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company.

Christian Blaxland was sentenced to nine months in jail and Sean Blaxland was sentenced to six months. They were placed on immediate parole and walked out of court.