Lamb Island man rues attack from behind that broke victim’s arm at bowls club

A 47-year-old man’s cowardly drunken attack on a man in his sixties has, a court heard, brought a defendant a new perspective on his own violent tendencies.

An island man with an “ongoing” history of drunken violent behaviour has been given a custodial sentence after attacking an unsuspecting man in his sixties from behind.

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Appearing at the Cleveland Magistrates Court today Lucas John McDonald, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm while adversely affected by intoxicating substance.

The court heard on August 22 McDonald walked up behind a man at the Lamb Island Bowls and Recreational Club pushing him and causing him to fall.

Once on the ground, the court was told, the defendant violently shook the man, aged in his sixties, against the floor.

A police prosecutor said Lamb Island man McDonald’s victim would the next day discover he had a broken arm from the incident.

Lucas McDonald has pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm in public place while adversely affected by intoxicating substance. Picture: Facebook.

Further aggravating the offence, the court heard, was a 2017 incident during which McDonald was captured on CCTV grabbing a man from behind and smashing his head into a bar at Pub Paradise on Macleay Island.

An unrepresented McDonald disputed that he had approached that victim from behind and claimed he thought the man was about to “glass” his brother who was standing nearby.

A police prosecutor said the defendant had a history of such “ongoing behaviour” that featured alcohol and assaults which ought not to be tolerated in the community.

Addressing the court, McDonald said he was aggrieved at his behaviour on August 22, of which he would only become aware when shown CCTV of the incident by police, and took full responsibility for it.

The islander, who runs his own business doing odd jobs, said he had acquired a renewed perspective on his behaviour, was booked in to see a psychologist and had attempted to apologise to his victim.

“I’ve always stood up and fought and not chosen flight and I now know what the engagement is about and how not to do it,” McDonald said.

The defendant was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with immediate parole.

He was also ordered to pay his victim $500 in restitution and banned from making contact with the man.