Blake Henry Booth charged for grievous bodily harm

A Logan youth has clocked his ex-girlfriend’s dad over the head for no apparent reason at his home, leaving him anxious it could happen again and unable to sleep properly.

A Logan youth has narrowly escaped jail time after facing court for striking his ex-girlfriend’s and breaking his jaw in two places.

Blake Henry Booth, 22, of Crestmead, appeared at Beenleigh District Court last Friday, where he pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm.

Booth, who was 21 when he committed the offence, was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment with immediate parole. He also has 10 months to pay his ex’s dad $5000 compensation.

The court heard on February 28 last year Booth was out drinking, before he turned up unannounced at his ex-girlfriend’s father’s Park Ridge home after 11pm.

The dad, who was 61 years old at the time, was woken up by Booth and answered the door. He told Booth he didn’t understand what he was saying, and to please just go home.

The court heard Booth did not leave and kept insisting the dad let him inside his home. The dad then lawfully tried to walk Booth out the front door and down the driveway, by placing a hand on his chest.

Blake Henry Booth of Crestmead, 22 years old, was hauled before Beenleigh District Court where he pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm on Friday. Photo: Facebook.

The pair was standing by a car parked in the driveway and talking, when the dad looked away and Booth took his chance to strike.

The court heard Booth hit the victim across the head, causing him to then hit his head on the car. He was bleeding from his face and clearly in a lot of pain when Booth hopped in the car he’d arrived in with his sister and another person and fled the scene.

After Booth had left, the dad went back inside his home and tried to clean his face. He then dialled triple-0. Since the incident he has had surgery on his jaw and spent six weeks unable to eat solid food.

The court heard he also suffered anxiety and was terrified someone was going to arrive at his home again and assault him. A victim impact statement tendered at court revealed the profound effect this had on his mental health and life, as well as detailing his trouble sleeping since the incident.

Although Booth did comply with police questioning, he also told them the victim had a bat which escalated the violence. The court heard this claim was understood by police to be untrue.

The court heard Booth had a good employment history, with his current boss providing a positive character reference.

Judge Craig Chowdhury said this was a tough case of a good person getting mixed up with anger and the effects of alcohol.

“You’re a young age, you show remorse, lack of criminal history and certainly no violent history, excellent prospects for rehabilitation,” Judge Chowdhury said.

“Because of this and your ability to pay compensation I will agree not to put you in actual custody today.

“The circumstances of the offences are really quite bad and puzzling…this is a serious offence. You just punched him in the side of the head without warning and for no reason.

“Once he asked you to leave you should have just gone back to the car and left…and it is clear the offence has had a significant impact on him.”