Geelong man Benjamin Burke punched stranger over parking spot
A Geelong man became violently angry when a stranger took his parking spot, a court has heard.
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A Geelong man knocked a stranger out and left him hospitalised over an argument about a parking spot at his local shopping centre.
The victim was met with verbal abuse, threats and finally physical violence by Geelong man Benjamin Burke for pulling into a car spot he wanted at the Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre in July last year.
Burke pleaded guilty to assault and a driving charge in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Tuesday and was slapped with a conviction and an unpaid community work order.
Once he had parked, the victim tried to explain to Burke and three other people that he was in a hurry to pick something up from inside and make it back to pick up his child but was met with verbal abuse.
Burke told the victim if he continued to talk, “I’ll punch you”.
As he walked back to his car later to retrieve his wallet, one of the men with Burke told the victim it would be a “smart idea to move” his car.
Burke walked close to the victim and again threatened violence.
Despite moving the car into another spot, Burke approached the victim outside the entrance to Coles and punched him to the jaw.
The man fell and blacked out for about 20 seconds.
He went to hospital and was required to stay overnight.
When police questioned Burke about the assault, he claimed the victim was wrong and there was never an argument because “it takes a lot for me to lose my patience”.
After being shown a photograph of himself at the shopping centre, Burke told officers “it didn’t look like him” and he “didn’t do it”.
Burke also pleaded guilty to driving unlicensed in May 2021.
His defence lawyer, Megan Campbell, explained Burke was on a community corrections order for a resolved matter at the time, meaning the assault was in breach of the court order.
When placing him back on a community corrections order with the conviction, Magistrate Franz Holzer warned Burke that he was “running out of chances” and could face harsher penalties if he landed back in court.
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Originally published as Geelong man Benjamin Burke punched stranger over parking spot
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