Alex Cole: Caboolture tradie guilty of coward punch at party

A Moreton Bay carpenter bashed a partygoer after the reveller’s friend defecated on his front lawn, a court has heard.

A Moreton Bay youth hosting a party “coward punched” a reveller, breaking the victim’s jaw and dislocating his shoulder, after the partygoer’s mate defecated on the front lawn.

Caboolture man Alex Robert Cole, 21, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Friday to a single count of assault occasioning bodily harm.

The court heard the violent assault occurred at a party in the late hours of August 15 last year.

The victim was vaguely known to Cole, as he worked with Cole’s sister at Hungry Jack’s, the court heard.

The melee in which the victim was coward punched was sparked by a friend of the victim defecating in the front yard.

Cole grabbed the poo-bandit and dragged him back to the site of the foul act and demanded he clean it up.

The victim and others attempted to intervene. The argy-bargy eventually led to Cole launching a vicious “coward punch” at his head from behind, which landed in the right side of the victim’s face, the court heard.

Caboolture coward puncher Alex Robert Cole, 21. Picture: Alex Treacy

The victim fell to the ground and continued to wrestle with others, during which he dislocated his shoulder.

Cole, however, attempted to break up the fight after he delivered the coup de grace to his victim, the court was told.

The coward punch left Cole’s victim with swelling, bleeding and a fractured jaw.

He was taken to Caboolture Hospital and then to the Royal Brisbane Hospital, where he spent five days in recovery.

On August 18, Cole sent his victim an apology on Facebook, where he offered to visit in person to deliver another apology.

During a recorded pretext call on October 30, Cole apologised again, telling his victim the fight “wasn’t meant to go so far”, but denying he had punched him from behind.

Defence counsel Dominic Nguyen told the court his client worked six days a week as an apprentice carpenter for a Woodford home-building company. He had a very minor criminal history.

Judge Michael Byrne QC sentenced Cole to 150 hours’ community service and did not record a conviction.

He also ordered Cole pay his victim $2000 compensation.