Ryan Stephen Guest: Man sentenced for reckless grievous bodily harm

An English national in the grips of an ice addiction pinned his Coffs Harbour friend to a wall with his car after he discovered his girlfriend cheating, a court has heard.

An English national who ran down a Coffs Harbour friend while in the grips of a serious drug addiction will walk from jail.

Ryan Stephen Guest, 30, appeared for judgement in Lismore District Court on Friday.

Guest, who appeared via videolink, pleaded guilty to reckless grievous bodily harm.

Other charges to be considered on sentence include possessing or using home made knuckle busters without a permit and destroying or damaging property.

Guest had been involved in a Coffs Harbour fight with a 27-year-old friend at a Bailey Avenue house before jumping in a car and driving it towards the younger man, pinning him against a brick wall, on April 5 last year.

The court heard the fight had begun because the victim had not told him his sister, who Guest was dating, had been cheating on him.

The victim had been woken by Guest who soon after began yelling abuse and then threw a metal barbell through his lounge window, the court heard.

Guest challenged the victim to come down and he did, carrying a garden rake as protection.

Guest then pushed the victim and reversed his car, pinning the man’s leg against a retaining wall, and was heard to say he was going to kill the victim, the court heard.

The accused fled from the scene a short time later.

Guest gave evidence on Monday, speaking of his upbringing and the death of his father which saw his semi-professional soccer hopes and happy life destroyed.

The court was told the death of two friends and a tough working environment led Guest into a depression spiral and he turned to drugs, including ice.

“I was using drugs as my coping mechanism,” he told the court.

“(The) drugs became more intense and it went downhill from there.”

He said he had known the victim for some time, hanging out at his home to “chill out”.

“It’s hard to fathom my actions have caused so much heartbreak,” he said.

“I’m ashamed of my actions, I’m embarrassed of the hurt and pain I’ve caused.

“I never thought I would be a person who came to jail. That was the lowest period of my life.”

Guest had been involved in a Coffs Harbour fight with a 27-year-old man at a Bailey Ave house. Picture: Google View Images

The court heard as a result of the crash, the victim had undergone several surgeries to his left leg, including a split skin graft.

Judge Jonathan Priestley noted the man did not have any ongoing disability.

“I wasn’t driving fast, I didn’t know he was near the retaining wall, I didn’t know I hurt him,” Guest told the court on Monday.

“I should have never driven off, I should have stayed with him.”

Judge Priestley said Guest arrived at the address for confrontation but said the violence was impulsive.

“There are many other ways in which you can respond,” Judge Priestley said in response.

“It’s obvious the vehicle is a far greater weight than the victim aimed at.”

He noted Guest had been “paranoid leading up to the event and using ice daily alongside regular cocaine and weed use.

“I don’t have any hesitation to think drug use was a contributing factor.”

He convicted Guest and sentenced him to a 22-month intensive correction order which will expire on June 18, 2024.

For the knuckle dusters charge, he was convicted and given a 12-month conditional release order.