Elimi Uluikadavu: Ex Melbourne Rebels rugby prospect in court over nightclub bashing
A former Melbourne Rebels player has faced court after a drunken attack on a man — which left him with a broken jaw and collarbone — at a Canberra nightclub.
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Former Super Rugby hopeful Elimi Talaimaicake Uluikadavu will not see the inside of a jail cell despite breaking a man’s jaw and collarbone when he was turfed from a Canberra nightclub.
Uluikadavu, 22, fronted the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday to face the music over his February 2019 attack near Shorty’s bar.
He has previously pleaded guilty to unlawfully causing grievous bodily harm.
Uluikadavu, originally from Fiji, came to Australia from New Zealand in 2017 to pursue his dream of professional stardom, before his rugby union career was cut short by injury.
The court heard Uluikadavu had been a heavy drinker and he became “lost” when his sporting career ended.
Giving evidence, Uluikadavu said: “I may have drunk too much that night and just acted on raw emotion”.
Uluikadavu, now an apprentice plumber, described himself as normally a “the quiet bubbly type” who made people laugh.
He has since seen a counsellor, cut down on his drinking, and has the support of his boss and his girlfriend’s family.
Chief Justice Murrell said she would not jail Uluikadavu “despite the seriousness of the offences”, saying he was unlikely to get in trouble with the law again.
Grainy security camera footage showed Uluikadavu shoving his victim in the bar, after a dispute over a woman.
Security guards split the men up, and kicked them out of seperate entrances.
But outside, Uluikadavu approached the man, who extended his hand and said: “I don’t want a fight”.
Mr Dyason said it was only luck that saw the victim avoid more serious injuries when he fell unconscious onto the footpath.
He said alcohol-fuelled punchups among “young males out for an evening on the town” were too common.
The victim’s broken jaw and collarbone had to be surgically fixed with screws and plates.
Chief Justice Murrell indicated she would sentence Uluikadavu to 13 months jail, with no time to serve, and an intensive corrections order with 100 hours of community service.
The sentence is expected to be finalised in September.