Shane Stephan Highland faces court after attacking rough sleeper at Ballina Seagulls Rugby League Football Club
A man who was repeatedly elbowed in the face stuck his fingers in his attacker’s eyeballs to escape a vicious confrontation at a Ballina football club.
Police & Courts
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A man who was repeatedly elbowed in the face stuck his fingers in his attacker’s eyes to escape a vicious confrontation at Ballina Seagulls Rugby League Football Club.
Shane Stephan Highland, 46, pleaded guilty at Ballina Local Court on Friday to reckless wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The court heard the Broadwater man approached a fellow sleeping rough in a confrontational way at Ballina Seagulls Rugby League Football Club on March 7 last year.
The other man grabbed Highland‘s wrists and was elbowed in the face multiple times.
“The pair then exchanged punches and other physical blows,“ police documents state.
Magistrate Karen Stafford said the man sleeping rough feared for his safety and “stuck his fingers in [Highland’s] eyeballs” to escape.
The move gave the man a chance to run and find a safe place to hide so he could call emergency services for help.
He was taken to the Ballina District Hospital for treatment.
The court heard Highland and the other man had known each other for one month and were embroiled in a disagreement about housing.
Highland made threats to the victim leading up to the event.
Highland claimed he acted in self-defence and said he also suffered injuries.
But Ms Stafford said Highland “used an excessive level of force in response to the victims actions”.
Ms Stafford said alcohol was a reoccurring factor in Highland’s offending and he was before the courts for common assault occasioning actual bodily harm in August 2019.
“Alcohol turns you into a man with two sides – on one side there is a reasonable man who people get along with and the other side is the alcoholic,” she said.
Ms Stafford sentenced Highland to serve a two-year community corrections order with 80 hours of community service and 80 hours of residential rehab.
Highland was also ordered not to consume alcohol.
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