Men charged with bashing teen girls in viral video of Pyrmont brawl released on bail

A court hearing for a man charged with bashing teen girls during a fight on Mardi Gras night was temporarily derailed.

Two men charged with bashing teen girls in a Mardi Gras night brawl that went viral on Instagram have been granted bail under strict conditions tantamount to house arrest.

A magistrate described the alleged assaults as a “random act of violence” on Tuesday, as one of the men discovered midway through his bail application he was facing an additional charge of assault.

Hong Ben Lee, 21 and William Shepley, 23, each face one charge of affray and two of assault over the fight, which erupted between a group of grown men and teenage girls at Pyrmont’s Pirrama Park earlier this month.

Co-accused Jesse Mackenzie, 29, is alleged to have punched a 16-year-old in the face before dragging her five metres by the hair over a small ledge.

A fourth man who police suspect was involved remains at large.

Chaotic footage of the fight, filmed by a bystander on a mobile phone, was played to Central Local Court on Tuesday morning as Mr Lee and Mr Shepley made bids for bail.

Magistrate Brett Shields said the fight seemed to “explode out of nowhere” and noted Mr Lee – identified by his lawyer as “the shirtless man” – could be seen striking a person on the ground in the final seconds of the video.

His lawyer, Adam Ly, said Mr Lee “runs in” to the fracas and is “clearly assaulted before he lays hands on anyone”.

The fight was filmed by bystanders and posted on Instagram.

Magistrate Shields replied Mr Lee had “no reason to be there at all” and had “chosen to involve himself in a violent incident”.

The 21-year-old’s bail application was temporarily derailed when, to the surprise of lawyers on both sides, the magistrate’s paperwork revealed police had laid another charge against Mr Lee.

The charge is an allegation of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on a third victim.

Mr Mackenzie has also since been slapped with the same charge, though in relation to one of the existing victims, on top of his existing charges of affray and two counts of assault.

Mr Ly said he was “somewhat perplexed” by the news, but there was a “very weak” case for the charge and Mr Lee would plead not guilty.

“It suggests to me perhaps (police) are unsure about how injuries occurred (on the third victim) and have tried to attribute them to my client because he’s in the vicinity,” he said.

The police prosecutor told the court Mr Shepley’s alleged actions during the brawl were more serious than that of Mr Lee, and involved kicking a teenage girl in the head.

Hong Ben Lee, Jesse MacKenzie and William Shepley have been charged with bashing teenage girls in a fight on Mardi Gras night. Picture: Instagram

Both men were supported by family members as they appeared in court over videolink, with Mr Lee’s parents and partner present as well as Mr Shepley’s mother, sister and brother-in-law.

The prosecution opposed bail for either man, arguing there was a risk they would not show up to court and present a danger to the community.

But it was granted by Magistrate Shields in both cases.

The strict conditions dictate neither Mr Lee nor Mr Shepley can leave their house unless accompanied by a parent and only for court, reporting to police, legal consultations and seeking medical attention.

Mr Mackenzie remains in custody.

At his bail hearing earlier this month the court heard he had a lengthy rap sheet and was on five community corrections orders at the time of the brawl.

The matter returns to court on April 19.

Originally published as Men charged with bashing teen girls in viral video of Pyrmont brawl released on bail