Stanley Riley jailed for assault at Queanbeyan ‘Sunshine Club’

A Queanbeyan traffic controller has been jailed after clobbering a man and throwing a woman to the ground at a local park known as the ‘Sunshine Club’.

Stanley Riley faced the Queanbeyan Local Court on June 26, 2023. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

A bender that turned violent at the “Sunshine Club” park left a man in a pool of blood at the hands of a drunk traffic controller, a court has heard.

The vicious attacks by Stanley Riley were aired in Queanbeyan Local Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to assault, common assault and possessing a prohibited drug.

Agreed facts state the Queanbeyan man was blind drunk after drinking a carton of Victoria Bitter at the Morisset St park on the afternoon of November 26, 2022, when he began yelling at one of his victims.

“You shouldn’t be drinking … how about you go home,” the woman said to Riley.

The traffic controller flew off the handle at hearing this and continued to argue with her and another man.

Stanley Riley was arrested following assaults at the 'Sunshine Club' park along Morisset St in Queanbeyan. Picture: Sam Turner

Riley walked towards the woman, which prompted the man to stand between them. The 31-year-old briefly moved backwards until he punched the man repeatedly in the head and face.

Court documents say the man fell to the ground and hit his head, and when the woman tried to intervene, she was grabbed and thrown to the ground.

“How about you go down with your man,” Riley told the woman.

The firepit where the incident took place. Picture: Sam Turner

Riley backed away and threw bottles on the ground before he picked up another beer bottle and threw it near the woman.

He left the scene but was tracked down by police and found with 3.9g of weed.

Police found Riley’s male victim next to a “large pool of blood” before he was taken to Queanbeyan Hospital to treat his injuries, including a broken nose.

Documents tendered to the court spoke of Riley being “not a violent person” with the assaults done in self-defence.

Riley’s defence lawyer told the court the former Dubbo man was a father and hadn’t drunk in months in an effort to be a more “proactive citizen”.

Magistrate Roger Clisdell said it was clear Riley was “no stranger to violence” due to his criminal history.

Riley was convicted and jailed for 11 months, with a non-parole period of eight months. He will be released on parole on February 25, 2024.