Ashley Mansfield, Joshua Caulfield, Dion Bridge-Johnson and Daniel Russell in court after horrific Coffs bashing

A northern NSW man was savagely gang bashed and left in a critical condition suffering brain trauma and broken bones. Months later, he died aged just 47.

Tamrin Southam died on May 9, 2022.

A Coffs Harbour man was savagely bashed and left in a critical condition with brain trauma after he took down another man, dislocating his arm, during a claimed “citizen’s arrest”.

Tamrin ‘Tam’ Southam survived the Coffs gang bashing, but died months later at the age of 47, leaving family and friends devastated.

Ashley Mansfield, Joshua Caulfield, Dion Bridge-Johnson and Daniel Russell pleaded guilty to reckless grievous bodily harm in company when they faced Coffs Harbour Local Court over video link on March 14. Mansfield also pleaded guilty to stalking/intimidating.

Ashley Mansfield - one of the men who has pleaded guilty to reckless grievous bodily harm in the wake of the horrific bashing.

The group attended the Coffs Coast Hotel for drinks on November 28, 2021.

They left the venue and entered into a verbal altercation with Mr Southam, who was drinking with a woman on their veranda about 3am, according to court documents.

Southam lived near Mansfield on Curacoa St.

The group antagonised Southam, calling him a “dog” and after the verbal stoush Southam and the woman felt their “house shaking”.

CCTV audio captured the moment Southam’s car windscreen was smashed in while yelling could be heard.

“F--king pu--y,” the group yelled.

Southam phoned triple-0 and told police a group was at the property “smashing things”.

Police could hear yelling over the phone line, according to the documents.

A man in the group with cystic fibrosis phoned for his father to come. Southam followed and swung at him from behind.

The man fell to the ground and “blacked out” for a time.

Southam held his knee to the man’s throat and dislocated his left arm – claiming it was a “citizen’s arrest, for destroying my property”.

A notice about Tamrin Southam, who died on May 9, 2022, just months after a brutal attack in Coffs Harbour.

The man suffered facial injuries and lost two teeth.

Southam again phoned triple-0 for police.

“You’re under arrest. They smashed my car,” Southam could be heard saying on the call.

The man taken down in the “citizen’s arrest” replied: “You hit me to the back of my head, you dog”.

The man’s dad arrived soon after and Southam kicked him in the chest.

Southam told triple-0 “he’s some skinny fella and now his father’s here and tried to attack me”, according to the documents.

The group member announced Mansfield was on the way and others were called to “get down here now”.

An angry mob including Mansfield, Caulfield, Bridge-Johnson and Russell arrived.

Southam was tackled by Caulfield and kicked several times by each member of the group, the documents state.

Someone shouted: “Enough, Ashley, he can’t breathe.”

The attack came to an end when a woman kicked the unconscious Southam several more times in the face, the documents state.

Tamrin Southam.

One of the people present urged “someone” to call Southam an ambulance and stated they “just nearly killed him on the road”.

“Oi, c--t wake up. He needs an ambulance”.

A woman responded: “F--k the c--t – I’d run the dog over”.

The group yelled Mansfield’s name as he threatened to kill Southam, court documents state.

“Call the cops you dog and I’ll show you what I’ll f--king do to you, you maggot,” he said.

Emergency services arrived and found Southam suffering from brain trauma, rib and shoulder fractures and facial contusions, with blood trickling from his ear.

He spent 11 days in intensive care before being released into a hospital rehabilitation facility on December 7, 2021.

Southam died on May 9, 2022. No charges have been laid and family and friends gathered to remember him in June.

More information has been sought about the official cause of death.

Southam was left in a critical condition and spent 11 days in intensive care after the assault.

The group offered varied excuses after the brutal gang bashing.

Bridge-Johnson’s “first instinct was to protect my mate” after hearing Ward had been attacked, while Mansfield blamed his drinking, the documents state.

“I was legit that drunk I was spewing. I drank most of a carton by myself,” he said.

Mansfield claimed he had earlier runs with Southam and a friend, who called him a “bogan f--ker” and was supposedly “up him for working on cars”.

Mansfield expressed concern and asked if Southam was OK after the bashing.

“I f--ken feel sorry for doing what I did, you know – if I could take it back I would,” he told police.

“I‘m not going to lie. I admit that I did it.”

Mansfield, Bridge-Johnson, Caulfield and Russell will next face the court on April 12.