‘Brutal’: Hobart man Wade Mackenzie jailed over group attack on taxi driver

A Tasmanian man who joined in a late-night group attack on a taxi driver inside his own home has been jailed for 14 months by the Supreme Court.

Wade Mackenzie, 36, was found guilty by a jury of one count of assault, relating to an incident that took place in the early hours of 25 August, 2020.

A Tasmanian man who joined in a late-night group attack on a taxi driver inside his own home has been jailed for 14 months by the Supreme Court.

Wade Mackenzie, 36, was found guilty by a jury of one count of assault, relating to an incident that took place in the early hours of 25 August, 2020.

The court heard that after the defendant left his mobile telephone in a taxi at the end of a fare, he contacted the driver to arrange its collection.

When Mackenzie and others arrived at the driver’s home address around 2.30am, the driver indicated he wanted full payment from an earlier, unpaid fare before he returned the phone.

Justice Michael Brett said he was satisfied the assault began when one of Mackenzie’s companions took hold of the driver and dragged him outside, before the three men set upon and attacked him.

“He was punched to the ground and while he was on the ground you all kicked him,” Justice Brett said.

“The assault was sustained and many of the punches and kicks landed on his head.

“The taxi driver was treated in hospital later that morning. He suffered abrasions, bruising and tenderness over his head and neck and other parts of his body.

“This was a very serious assault. It was brutal and cowardly. The objective seriousness of the crime is aggravated by the fact that it occurred at the victim’s home in front of his family, including a child, and it was a group attack.”

Justice Brett sentenced Mackenzie to 14 months’ imprisonment, ordering that he not be eligible for parole until he had served eight months of the term.

Originally published as ‘Brutal’: Hobart man Wade Mackenzie jailed over group attack on taxi driver