Ezkiel Copeland, 23, jailed after hitting Goonellabah ex-police officer with fence post during wild street attack

A Northern Rivers man will have time to think over his actions after he was jailed for smacking an elderly man with a fence post embedded with a nail. Read the exclusive.

Ezkiel Copeland, 23, has been jailed following the attack. Picture: Facebook

A Northern Rivers man will have time to think over his actions after he was jailed for smacking an elderly man, a former police officer, with a fence post embedded with a nail.

Goonellabah’s Ezkiel Copeland appeared in prison greens via audio visual link before Magistrate Michael Dakin in Lismore Local Court for sentencing.

The 23-year-old sat with his head hung low as Mr Dakin handed down his Judgement.

Earlier this month, Copeland pleaded guilty in July to affray, being armed with the intention to commit an indictable offence, two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and two counts of failing to appear.

Ezkiel Copeland hit an ex-cop with a fence post. Picture: Facebook

The offending occurred on February 8 last year, while Copeland was walking with a group along Shearman Dr, Goonellabah about 2am, causing a disturbance.

A caravan parked on the street had a window smashed in by a member of the group and the owner – a former policeman – was inspecting the damage when the group returned “shouting obscenities and yelling”.

The elderly man ducked back into his yard and “Copeland moved towards the victim and yelled ‘get out of here you old dog’ and began throwing punches at him”, police state in court documents.

Copeland grabbed a fence post and hit the man in the leg with force, causing “considerable pain, bruising and swelling”.

Lismore Courthouse.

Copeland then tried to coax the ex-cop out of his yard and continued to verbally abuse him, threatening to kill him.

“Come out your yard you dog, you’ll probably get me done for trespassing, come outside your yard to Shearman St my brother,” Copeland said.

“I’m going to kill you dog,” he screamed, claiming the ex-cop had struck his brother.

Mr Dakin told the court on Wednesday Copeland relied on a forensic cognitive impairment application which declared he suffered from a brain injury.

The magistrate said: “The question is did his cognitive impairment have a causative effect in his offending?”

“I am not persuaded that a man behaved in this way considering he is someone with a brain injury.

Copeland and the group attacked the man as he desperately tried to defend himself. When Copeland was told he had been captured on home CCTV, he said: “I don’t give a f--k” and “F--k the police”.

Armed with the post, Copeland told the victim: “Here you go motherf--ker how do you like being hit?”

Gomes and Copeland have been jailed over the wild street attack.

Mr Dakin said time in prison was an appropriate penalty.

“I don’t believe a correction in the community is an effective deterrent,” he said.

It was newly revealed the wooden post had a nail in it, causing soft tissue damage.

Mr Dakin said the language Copeland used was meant to frighten the victim.

“The words Copeland used are aggressive and designed to instil fear in him,” he said.

Copeland was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of ten months.

He is due to be released on parole on January 23 next year.

Previously, the court heard co-offender Tyreece Gomes, 21, threw a pane of glass at the former officer and injured himself in the process. An ambulance was required.

He pleaded guilty to damaging property, intimidation, affray and failing to appear in accordance with bail.

Gomes was convicted and jailed for two years with a non-parole period of 15 months.

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