Cobar miner John Stirling attacked three men in Dubbo’s CBD
The 22-year-old’s savage late-night assault in Dubbo’s CBD left one man knocked out cold on the ground for 15 minutes and two others injured.
Dubbo News
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A violent young dad who took part in a late-night brawl which left one man laid out on the ground and unable to move has pleaded guilty to a string of charges in court.
After drinking at the popular Pastoral Hotel in Dubbo on August 22 last year, John Stirling walked across the road and savagely attacked three men, a police facts documents tendered in court revealed.
The 22-year-old Cobar man was with a group of people when the brawl took place on Talbragar Street shortly before 4am.
In court documents, police said the violence was captured on a security camera and “at no point on the footage can any three victims be seen to throw a punch during the entire incident”.
Stirling punched his first victim in the face and the man was knocked to the ground. He lay motionless for 15 minutes.
Stirling punched another man and when a third man was dragged to the ground, Stirling punched him several times too.
When police arrived Stirling and other people involved in the brawl had fled the scene.
They were found a short time later at the Commercial Hotel and police said no one admitted they were involved in the brawl and all appeared to show “a complete lack of remorse for their actions”.
When asked later by police about his behaviour, Stirling said he “just snapped”.
Stirling, who police said worked as a miner and was a father of one, pleaded guilty to three assault charges and one count of affray when he appeared in Dubbo Local Court.
A letter of apology, along with letters from Stirling’s parents and a reference from his grandfather were handed up to Magistrate Gary Wilson for his consideration ahead of sentencing.
A sentencing assessment report was ordered, with Stirling set to learn his fate on March 15.
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