Warwick men bashed at pub after drug deal goes bad
When they realised they had been sold bread wrapped in foil instead of drugs, they beat up an innocent man.
Police & Courts
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WHEN two Warwick men were sold bread wrapped in foil instead of $300 worth of drugs, their plan to get a refund ended with two violent assaults at a pub.
Colin Angus Chowns, 24, and another man organised to buy the marijuana from two men on November 15, 2019 at a Warwick residence.
The Warwick Magistrates Court heard when the pair realised they'd been ripped off, they went to the Horse and Jockey Hotel Motel, where Chowns was an employee, to confront their dealers.
Police prosecutor Ken Wiggan said Chowns' co-accused tackled a man they thought was one of the suppliers outside the pub, punching him in the head a number of times.
Sgt Wiggan told the court Chowns soon realised they had the wrong man and told his friend to stop.
The pair then headed inside the pub and found one of the men actually involved.
Chowns grabbed him by the shirt and swung him into a nearby pokies machine, before his co-accused punched him in the head.
During the second fight, Chowns' co-accused rubbed the bread he'd earlier mistaken for marijuana in his victim's face.
The fight was eventually broken up, with both victims sustaining minor injuries.
Defence lawyer Phil Crook claimed his client, as a Horse and Jockey employee, eventually tried to stop the violence to protect his workplace's reputation.
Mr Crook argued the man's otherwise clean criminal record should also weigh in his favour.
Magistrate Julian Noud condemned Chowns' conduct as "disgraceful, shameful, and inexcusable", posing a risk to everyone involved and the wider community.
However, Mr Noud also acknowledged the man was not the primary offender.
Chowns pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of possessing a dangerous drug.
He was placed on 18 months' probation and ordered to pay $200 compensation to their innocent victim.
A conviction was not recorded.
His co-accused was also charged but his matter remains before the courts.
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