Jack Desmond Pullman pleads guilty to obstructing police at The Strand Hotel

A Yeppoon tradie has found himself in court after drinking rum on a footy trip for the first time in four years, fighting a patron at a pub, and calling police who intervened “gay c***s”.

Jack Desmond Pullman, 26, leaving the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday, December 6, 2022. Picture: Jessica Baker

A tradie who fought a patron at a popular Yeppoon pub and called police who intervened derogatory names such as “gay c***s” and “losers” has told a court he did so after drinking rum for the first time in four years.

Jack Desmond Pullman, 26, of Taranganba faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday, December 6 and pleaded guilty to committing public nuisance and obstructing police in the vicinity of a licensed premises.

The court heard the man, who recently relocated his Yeppoon roofing business to Brisbane, became “obnoxious” toward police and security while celebrating the end of the local football season at The Strand Hotel on July 9.

Police prosecutor Harry Coburn said Pullman was standing at the pub entrance when, about 2am, he was told to “move away” as the venue had closed.

He stood outside on the footpath with some 100 other patrons.

“Fifteen minutes later, at 2.15am, the defendant has shoved another male patron hard in the chest, causing him to stumble backward,” Mr Coburn said.

“The defendant and the male patron then engaged in a physical altercation. The male patron’s gone to ground and the defendant was on top of him.

“Police observed several members of the public rushed towards the altercation to break up the fight.”

The 26-year-old was restrained by police and security, stating a number of times that police were “gay c***s”, “mad c***s”, and “losers”.

Mr Coburn told the court Pullman had committed 11 other offences involving public, drunken, and violent behaviour in the past six years.

Pullman’s lawyer Matt Woods confirmed his client’s offending, both past and currently before the court, commonly involved alcohol. He suggested rum negatively affected his behaviour more than other types of liquor.

On July 9, the court heard he consumed alcohol while with a large number of his friends and fellow players both on-board a bus then at The Strand.

Mr Woods said one of Pullman’s friends became involved in the altercation before he did. He said Pullman “deeply regrets” his actions; particularly those which involved police.

Pullman was said to be “quite friendly” with police on the night in question – and was even driven home by officers – as they knew him locally and through his football playing.

Mr Woods said his client was “still learning to be a businessman” but he was considered a “very hard worker” who managed six employees and worked for reputable insurance companies, mostly repairing weather damage.

He asked Magistrate Kyna Morice to give Pullman “one last chance” and choose not to record a conviction, noting he had not had an alcohol drink since the July incidents and he was generally an upstanding and useful citizen when not adversely affected.

Ms Morice said Pullman was “a menace to society” who “simply shouldn’t drink”.

“To say that rum was a contributing factor … I don’t accept that there’s a certain drink that makes him behave in this manner,” she said.

She raised that he had already been given “one last opportunity” by a court in March last year, and had since been involved in two incidents.

Ms Morice considered his criminal history, young age, work prospects, attempts at rehabilitation, and personal circumstances when deciding an appropriate penalty.

Pullman was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for each offence, to run concurrently and be wholly suspended for an operational period of 15 months.

Convictions were recorded.