Christian Benjamin Diplock sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court after assaulting a patron and verballing abusing police on Flinders street

A Townsville man left himself violently injured after punching a window less than a year after he randomly assaulted a nightclub patron.

Police officers at the Flinders Street East Drink Safe Precinct.

A man who severed his arteries after punching a window has been labelled an ‘absolute pest’ by a Townsville magistrate after he also slapped a patron to the ground unprovoked at a popular nightclub in separate offending.

Christian Benjamin Diplock appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday after he physically assaulted a person at FLNDRS HQ nightclub and committed a public nuisance while banned from the safe night precinct.

Police prosecutor Lennon Stathoulis said that at 2:42am on June 25, 2023, Diplock walked side-by-side with the victim, who was not known to him, into the nightclub and without provocation slapped the man in the face.

“The slap has forced the victim to stumble and fall backwards with the back of his head hitting the floor of the nightclub which was captured on CCTV footage,” Mr Stathoulis said.

“The slap caused the victim pain, discomfort and swelling to the right side of his jaw.”

Diplock was then removed from the venue by security where he was arrested by police and was breath tested which revealed he was seven times the legal driving limit.

Two months later, Diplock then returned to Flinders street despite receiving a banning notice and began yelling at police ‘F— off, I don’t respect you dog c—’.

Defence lawyer Daniel Saliba, instructed by Anderson Telford Lawyers, said that an offence committed by Diplock in February of this year could be considered as extra-curial punishment after he punched a glass window causing it to break.

“ (Diplock) was rendered unconscious as a result of the arterial bleeding from the offence that occurred almost immediately after he punched the window,” he said.

“Specifically he has severed his ulnar artery, his radial artery, his ulnar nerve as well as his achilles heel in his right leg.

“The next two days after the event he spent those days in the ICU. He spent the following eight days in short stay and the preceding two months in a wheelchair.”

Mr Saliba said that further surgeries and rehabilitation will impede Diplock’s ability to work until February 2025.

Magistrate Rhianna Lee labelled Diplock an “absolute pest” for his behaviour towards police in August last year but said that she had no doubt he had time to reflect on his behaviour since injuring himself.

Diplock pleaded guilty to all charges and was fined $2000 for assault occasioning bodily harm, committing public nuisance and contravening police banning notice.

He was also ordered to pay $677 by way of restitution to the complainant for the wilful damage offence.

Originally published as Christian Benjamin Diplock sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court after assaulting a patron and verballing abusing police on Flinders street