Sunnybank Hills dad, Josh Lakatani, fronts Beenleigh court over assault on woman

A court has heard of a Brisbane man’s shocking assault on a woman which left her with scratches on her body in an incident a magistrate called “belittling” and “ugly”.

A Brisbane dad has told a court alcohol is now a “big no go” for him after a shocking assault on a woman, where he tried to push her out of a moving car while drunk.

Sunnybank Hills man Josh Nikkolas Lakatani, 30, appeared in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Wednesday, August 10 and pleaded guilty to one count of common assault.

Prosecutor Sergeant Kellie Cullen shared the grim details of the offence and the moments which preceded it on April 2.

She said Lakatani had been with a woman at Royal Hotel in Beenleigh between 6pm and 8pm on the evening in question before the pair later made their way to a second, nearby venue, Imperial Hotel.

While at the hotel, the court heard Lakatani became abusive and started calling the woman names such as “f***ing sloppy fat b**ch”.

She left the premises and drove back to her home at Logan.

But the court heard it was not long before Lakatani contacted her, saying “get your arse back here and pick me up … or I’m going to burn the house down”.

Sgt Cullen said she drove back to the Imperial Hotel and stopped when she saw Lakatani.

He sat in the car and immediately began abusing her and calling her names.

“He then reached over and started trying to turn the car off to get the aggrieved out of the moving vehicle,” Sgt Cullen.

Lakatani pushed his forearm against the woman as she drove in the direction of Beenleigh Police Station, seeking help.

She tried to pull the handbrake and turn off the ignition of the car, to no avail and then Lakatani put the car in neutral and the woman steered it toward the police station.

Sgt Cullen said Lakatani then used his closed fist to punch the woman multiple times in the chest while she was still driving.

When the car came to a stop, he turned off the ignition and continued to assault the woman.

He used both his hands to scratch her chest and body, causing her dress to rip, and dug his fingers into her neck.

The court heard she felt pain but did not lose consciousness.

Lakatani continued the assault for a further 20 to 30 seconds and the woman yelled for help for some three minutes.

Sgt Cullen said she eventually managed to get into the station and report the matter and police noted Lakatani was intoxicated and the woman was in a state of distress.

Sgt Cullen asked Magistrate Pamela Dowse to consider the offending was serious, protracted, and featured a significant level of force.

Representing himself in court, Lakatani told Ms Dowse drinking was now a “big no go” for him and he was staying away from his victim.

Ms Dowse told the man the details of the offending read by the prosecution “made me feel quite sick”.

Taking into account the “belittling” and “ugly” nature of the matter and Lakatani’s plea of guilty, she sentenced him to 12 months’ probation.

No conviction was recorded.