Israel Colin Buggy sentenced to seven years prison

A father-of-seven has been sentenced in Maroochydore District Court over his role in a violent stabbing attack on a well-known Gympie boxer as tempers flared in the courtroom.

Danny Hawkins.

A father-of-seven has been jailed for his role in a brutal stabbing attack on a well-known Gympie boxer as tensions erupted in the courtroom.

A tense scuffle broke out in the Maroochydore Courthouse on Monday, July 10, when Israel Colin Buggy, 47, was sentenced over the attack on famed boxer Danny Hawkins.

Buggy appeared in the Maroochydore District Court where he pleaded guilty to one charge of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm.

Emotions in the courtroom were high as family and friends of Buggy filled the public gallery for the sentencing along with Mr Hawkins, his wife and daughter.

Crown prosecutor Rebecca Marks told the court Buggy had gathered his two sons, Bronson and Ben Buggy as well as two of their friends Callum McClay and Alec Jardine to attack Mr Hawkins on September 18, 2021.

“The defendant who knew the complainant, they had known each other for some years, came around to the complainant’s house armed with a concealed knife together with four other men, two of whom were also armed with significant weapons being a sword and a machete,” Ms Marks said.

Ms Marks told the court the father-of-seven and the four other men arrived at Hawkins’ home and called out for him to meet them in his front yard where Buggy threw the first punch, before inflicting life-threatening injuries upon Hawkins.

“Despite having the upper hand the defendant pulled out the 15cm knife and stabbed the complainant twice to the left of his chest,” Ms Marks said.

Victim of the attack, Danny Hawkins.

Defence barrister Matt Jackson told the court the attack was sparked by a comment made by Hawkins asking Buggy whether his wife was pregnant and Buggy’s retaliation was then fuelled by alcohol and drug use.

“He (Buggy) was irrational on that day because of those two factors,” Mr Jackson said.

Maroochydore District Court judge Glen Cash told the court Buggy’s reaction to the comment made by Hawkins in relation to his wife was an example of “extremely serious acts of offending.”

The moment Gympie dad Danny Hawkins was stabbed during a confrontation with a group of men at his Parsons Rd property was captured in pictures and video tendered to Gympie Magistrates Court as part of one of the accused's earlier rejected bail application. The man in the black shirt with his back to the camera is a witness to the alleged incident.

“I do not accept there were any acts of provocation or excuse in the conduct of the complainant that reduces your responsibility for your actions,” Mr Cash said.

“What the complainant said inquiring whether your wife was pregnant was so innocuous, no one could even begin to justify reacting in the way that you did.”

Mr Cash sentenced Buggy to seven years’ imprisonment and convicted him of a serious violent offence, which means he must spend at least 80 per cent of the sentence behind bars.

The 658 days spent in remand was counted by Mr Cash as time already served.