Gosford Hotel: Dylan Brady sentenced to jail over ‘sickening’ attack

A Davistown man has appealed a sentence over what police described as “one of the most sickening and unprovoked” attacks at the Gosford Hotel in February.

A Davistown man has lodged an appeal after being sentenced to jail over a “sickening” unprovoked attack at Gosford Hotel.

Dylan Brady, 29, appeared at Gosford Local Court on August 5 where Magistrate Jennifer Price sentenced him to nine months imprisonment over the February 6 attack.

Earlier this year, Brady pleaded guilty to one charge of affray and one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Police released CCTV images of Dylan Brady after the attack. Picture: NSW Police

A set of agreed facts tendered to the court stated that the incident was captured on CCTV.

“Upon review of the CCTV footage of this incident at the Gosford Hotel by seasoned police officers, the assault has to be quoted as one of the most sickening and unprovoked assaults that they had been privy to,” the documents state.

The facts revealed that Brady and the victim were not known to each other before the night. At around 11.20pm, Brady was in the poker machine room at Gosford Hotel sitting with a woman.

The victim, aged 40 at the time, approached Brady and the woman to borrow a cigarette lighter before sitting at a poker machine.

Police described the attack as “sickening”. Picture: NSW Police

“After about a minute the accused approached the victim and without hesitation or provocation the accused has swung his arm and slapped him with his right hand, striking the victim to the left side of the head,” the facts stated.

The victim put his hand up to block Brady who leant down and head butted him before shifting his weight and swinging a “haymaker” punch at the victim’s head.

He then slapped him again and the victim put his hand up to protect himself.

The facts say Brady then stepped out of view of the CCTV before returning with a “coward punch to the back of the victim’s head” which caused him to slump in his chair.

“The accused has then bent over, put his face near the victim and thrown an upper cut hitting the victim in the head causing him to slouch over the poker machine,” the facts stated.

His final act was another punch to the victim’s head with CCTV showing the victim was “motionless”.

Brady is appealing the sentence at Gosford District Court on August 23. Picture: David Swift

Brady left the scene and staff from the hotel took the victim to Gosford police station where an ambulance was called due to the “severity of the injuries”.

The next morning the police spoke to the victim who said he couldn’t remember anything after the first punch and was unable to defend himself.

Officers arrested Brady at his house, noticing “significant swelling to his right hand”.

Brady lodged an appeal against the affray conviction and was granted conditional bail until his hearing in the Gosford District Court on August 23.

His bail conditions include reporting to police three times a week, abiding by a curfew, not entering any licensed premises and not drinking alcohol or taking drugs.