‘Bad combo’: Alcohol, jealousy fuel jaw-breaking punch

A man accused his friend of wanting to sleep with his girlfriend before punching him in the jaw.

Brook Paul Campbell leaves Maroochydore Court House after being sentenced for grievous bodily harm on Monday.

Alcohol and jealousy were what fuelled Brook Paul Campbell when he punched his friend of 15 years in the face, leaving him in hospital with a fractured jaw, a court heard.

It was after a night of drinking that Campbell punched his friend in the jaw during a jealous rage, accusing the man of wanting to have sex with his girlfriend on April 25, 2018.

Campbell, 44, pleaded guilty in Maroochydore District Court on Monday to unlawfully causing grievous bodily harm.

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Crown prosecutor Alex Stark said Campbell was 41 at the time of the attack and the victim had been 40, and they had known each other for about 15 years.

"(Campbell) and his girlfriend had rented a room at the complainant's residence in Maroochydore about four nights before," Mr Stark said.

On the night of the assault the victim had gone to the Alex Surf Club with Campbell's girlfriend.

When they returned to the man's house, Campbell starting shouting at him, accusing him of having sex or attempting to have sex with his girlfriend, the court heard.

The pair began arguing, pushing and shoving each other until and the victim yelled "you're no longer welcome, get out of my house".

Campbell then punched the man in the side of the jaw.

The court heard the man pushed Campbell out of his house and called the police as Campbell drove away.

The attack left the man with a fractured jaw.

He had to undergo surgery and received a metal plate.

Brook Paul Campbell left a man with a fractured jaw requiring a metal plate, after he punched him in a jealous rage.

The court heard police interviews were delayed after the assault as Campbell had gone to the Whitsundays.

Mr Stark said Campbell attended a police station in the Whitsundays and gave a self-serving account of what had happened, which was not accepted by the Crown.

"(But) it was not gratuitous street violence or thuggery, it occurred in the context of a single punch, with some element of a face-to-face confrontation," he said.

"It was not a king hit."

Defence barrister Scott Lynch said Campbell lived in the Whitsundays and had worked as an arborist until a workplace accident left him disabled with an elbow injury.

Mr Lynch said Campbell had also completed charity work in the past with Surfrider Sunshine Coast and Eco Barge Clean Seas.

Judge Richard Jones said grievous bodily harm was a serious offence which often attracted "hefty" sentences requiring actual custody.

"A combination of alcohol and sex … intoxication and jealousy are always a bad combination," Judge Jones said.

"However there are a number of unusual features in your case.

"You've pleaded guilty which is a significant matter to take into account, it means the complainant and others are not required to give evidence.

"It allows our legal system to move forward in an efficient way and it appears in your case your plea is consistent with you otherwise having a good, solid background in our society."

Judge Jones said his sentence had to reflect a message of deterrence to Campbell and the broader public.

"As we know one punch can result in tragic consequences."

Campbell was sentenced to two years in jail, wholly suspended for two years.

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