Logan parents sentenced for brutal neighbour bashing

A Beenleigh couple who believed their neighbour had reported them to police turned on him in a violent attack that left him hospitalised with a shattered cheekbone, a court has heard.

There will be no period of actual imprisonment for the Logan couple who beat a man senseless on Main St at Beenleigh, shattering his cheekbone and causing sunken eye trauma.

One of the offenders, 34-year-old father-of-two Daryl John Waddington, appeared at the Beenleigh District Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to one count of grievous bodily harm.

The court heard the offence occurred on December 8, 2015, when Waddington was 28-years-old and his then-girlfriend and co-offender Claudia-Rose Harrison, was 18-years-old and 15 weeks pregnant.

According to crown prosecutor Zackery Kaplan, the couple knew the victim, Michael Angelo Surdo, from their comings and goings in the neighbourhood.

Daryl John Waddington was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence.

Harrison approached Mr Surdo as he pulled into his driveway at around 3.30pm and accused him of calling the police whenever he heard the couple having a loud argument.

Mr Surdo later told police he’d never contacted them in regards to the couple and had no idea what they were talking about.

According to the facts of the case as read by Judge Craig Chowdhury, Waddington ignored Mr Surdo’s confusion and called him “a f*****g dog”.

Mr Surdo told the couple to “get the f**k out of (his) face” and pushed Harrison in an attempt to escape.

The move only angered the couple further and they began to viciously attack Mr Surdo, striking him several times on the head, eyes, lips and mouth, which caused his vision to become “blurry and white”.

When Mr Surdo tried to break free Waddington grabbed him in a headlock and continued to punch him in the face.

The attack stopped when Mr Surdo grabbed Waddington by the legs and pulled him to the ground, giving the neighbours an opportunity to intervene and call the police.

The victim was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital with facial bruising, a sunken eye, and a shattered cheekbone.

He underwent maxillofacial surgery on January 4, 2016 and required plates and screws to be inserted to fix the cheekbone.

According to Judge Chowdhury’s remarks, Mr Surdo has persistent numbness to this day and without surgical intervention, would have had a permanent facial deformity.

Mr Surdo was not charged with any offences.

“He did nothing to deserve that treatment,” Judge Chowdhury said.

Harrison was sentenced to two years imprisonment with immediate parole release for grievous bodily harm when she faced the Beenleigh District Court on May 11, 2018.

Waddington, who is currently serving a four month suspended prison sentence for four counts of failing to appear at court and one count of possessing dangerous drugs, was today sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment with immediate parole.