Wadalba: OzTag thug William Barry Payne, 25, sentenced for coward punching opposition player

A mindless thug very nearly swapped his velcro shorts for prison greens after throwing a sickening coward punch at an opposition player, shattering his jaw, during halftime of an OzTag game.

William Barry Payne, inset, threw sickening punch he threw at an opposition player during an OzTag game.

A Central Coast thug has very nearly swapped his velcro shorts for prison greens after breaking an opposition player’s jaw with a coward punch attack during halftime at an OzTag game.

William Barry Payne, 25, of Hamlyn Terrace, faced Wyong Local Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and reckless wounding.

An agreed set of facts states Payne was playing OzTag on Field 3 at Wadalba Sports Facility on February 15, when another player slipped and “caused a collision” with him.

Payne began “mouthing off” at the other team and the victim, who had only ever seen Payne before at previous OzTag games, replied “so a minor verbal exchange ensured throughout the first half of the game”.

“The victim felt like the accused was going to ‘line him up for a big hit’ in response, and as such became increasingly fearful and alert of the accused’s movements,” the facts state.

William Barry Payne, 25, of Hamlyn Terrace, leaving Wyong Local Court where he was sentenced for assault and reckless wounding. Picture: NewsLocal

About 6.50pm, the halftime siren sounded and both teams retired to their respective huddles on the sideline.

“The victim noticed the accused began running towards him, squaring up. The victim began shouting at the accused to ‘piss off’,” the facts state.

Payne was playing OzTag at Wadalba Sports Facility, Louisiana Rd, Wadalba. Picture: Google

“The accused stopped in front of the victim, grabbed him by the shirt with his left hand and swung at the victim with a closed right fist. The accused’s fist impacted with the lower left side of the victim’s jaw/chin area.”

People came running in from everywhere and pulled Payne off the victim.

The court heard Payne, like a coward, then “immediately ran from the location”.

“The victim felt immense pain in his jaw and began bleeding from the mouth,” the facts state.

OzTag staff approached him and said the bloke who assaulted him was “Will Payne”.

Police arrived but, because of the swelling, they couldn’t see the extent of the victim’s injuries.

However, “it was clear that the victim’s teeth were displaced along the bottom and there was a split of his bottom gum between a gap in his teeth”.

The victim, 18 at the time, went to hospital where he was treated for a shattered jaw and loose teeth.

Payne leaving court. Picture: NewsLocal

He had four screws inserted in his lower gums and elastic bands to hold his jaw in place.

“There were also two plates placed into the victim’s lower jaw,” the facts state.

He couldn’t eat solid food for six weeks and the court heard the shocking assault impacted him psychologically.

Almost two months later, on April 2, police spoke to Payne, who made “full admissions”.

The court heard Payne was also subject to a separate good behaviour bond at the time of the assault.

He was sentenced to a two-year intensive correction order, which is considered by the court to be the equivalent of a jail sentence but served in the community.

Unfortunately, the victim and his family had been waiting around at court all morning to hear the sentence and the magistrate’s remarks first hand.

However, after giving the matter a 2pm marker, magistrate Robyn Richardson unexpectedly sentenced Payne before lunch, so the victim’s family missed it.