Jayden O’Leary, Emily Moran: Couple guilty of bashing woman

‘Bad blood’ between a young Logan man and his cousin, who was also his neighbour, led to a violent three-on-one bashing of a woman.

A teenage couple formerly of Logan have fronted court after administering a severe, three-on-one bashing to their neighbour’s girlfriend with a cricket bat and skateboard.

Tweed Heads South couple Jayden Peter O’Leary and Emily Jane Moran, both 19, both pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Wednesday to assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company.

The court heard the violent incident occurred on the evening of December 26, 2019, at an address in Beenleigh, where the couple formerly lived.

Their victim was the girlfriend of O’Leary’s cousin, who lived next door to the pair.

There existed “bad blood” between O’Leary and his cousin, Judge Deborah Richards told the court, which bubbled over on the night in question.

The court heard the incident was kicked off by Moran launching a glass bottle at the front door of O’Leary’s cousin.

Former Beenleigh couple Jayden Peter O'Leary and Emily Jane Moran, both 19. Picture: Facebook

His cousin’s girlfriend emerged from the house, enraged, brandishing a jerry can of gas and matches, telling O’Leary and Moran to leave the property or else she would torch Moran’s car.

Moran, armed with a skateboard, O’Leary, and a third person armed with a cricket bat then descended upon the woman, who sustained a broken arm in the vicious assault.

O’Leary spent 30 days remanded in custody before he was granted Supreme Court bail, the court heard.

Both defendants’ barristers told the court their clients had turned their lives around since the “out of character” assault.

The court heard the pair moved first to Pottsville then to Tweed Heads South, and welcomed their first child into the world.

O’Leary achieved his HR Truck license and worked for a removalist firm, while Moran was studying a Cert III in Business Administration.

Neither had reoffended since bashing the woman.

Judge Richards sentenced O’Leary to 11 months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended, while Moran was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended.