Harley Darren Kent Tranquille pleaded guilty to common assault after punching man who grabbed his wife

A Toowoomba man who defended his wife against the man who turned aggressive on her has been charged with assault. See what the court had to say here.

An alcohol-fuelled fight in the Toowoomba CBD ended with one man on the ground and another furious that his wife was attacked, a court has heard.

Harley Darren Kent Tranquille was with his wife and friends on August 7, 2022, when an argument between Mrs Tranquille and a friend broke out, involving racist and derogatory remarks from the latter.

The confrontation was captured on CCTV around 3am, which showed Tranquille trying to defuse the situation, but once the complainant grabbed his wife, Tranquille punched the man twice in the face and twice to the back of the head once he was on the ground, the Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

The complainant reportedly entered an altered state of consciousness as a result, and the physical altercation happened within seconds, before Tranquille and his wife left the scene.

Tranquille, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of common assault at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on October 25, with police prosecutor Anita Page claiming he made full admission to the incident when approached by police.

Toowoomba Courthouse in Hume St

The prosecution however accepted that the complainant had grabbed Mrs Tranquille, which resulted in the “excessive” reaction.

Tranquille’s solicitor Shane Hough of RedHill Legal said his client had a dysfunctional childhood, however his wife had been a stabilising influence in his life.

Mr Hough said his client reacted instinctively on the assault of his wife, but was remorseful and understood that behaviour could not be tolerated in the community.

Magistrate Louise Shephard said imprisonment would normally be on the table, however given the situation and the prosecution’s acceptance to the complainant committing assault on Tranquille’s wife, she would look to alternative consequences.

“We know this kind of behaviour, punches to the head region, it just cant be tolerated,” she said.

“We know that it can have catastrophic results, thank goodness that didn't happen on this occasion.”

Tranquille was given 10 months probation as a result of the common assault charge.

Originally published as Harley Darren Kent Tranquille pleaded guilty to common assault after punching man who grabbed his wife