Casey Holmes, Snapchat assault: Teen sentenced

An Illawarra teen who attacked a father during a drunken night out and posted footage of the assault to social media sobbed in court when she was sentenced.

A young woman who attacked a Bulli father during a drunken night out and posted disturbing footage of the injured man to Snapchat has gotten away with just a $750 fine for her role in the attack.

A visibly emotional Casey Holmes, 19, faced Wollongong Local Court for sentencing on Friday for the attack of Bulli father Brad Quirk in 2019 in which she posted several 10-second clips to social media, laughing at the injuries she inflicted on the 57-year-old.

In the videos posted online, Mr Quirk looks dazed and confused, with blood and bruises covering his face as he stumbles through Thirroul’s William Woodward Park.

They went viral on Facebook in the wake of the assault with 90,000 views in just a few days and Holmes, also of Bulli, was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray on October 1.

Holmes initially pleaded not guilty to both charges but before hearing was set to take place her lawyer indicated her client would be pleading guilty to the assault charge and police agreed to withdraw the charge of affray.

Casey Holmes outside Wollongong Local Court. Picture: Madeline Crittenden

The 19-year-old was visibly emotional during sentencing on Friday, with her lawyer asking for the charges to be dismissed under the mental health act.

CCTV footage was played in the court of the park on the night of the attack showing Mr Quirk standing by a tree, with Holmes and her friend seen walking towards him and aggravating him.

The attack goes on for some time, with Holmes seen kicking the man even when he is on the floor.

“I acknowledge it’s inexplicable behaviour … Ms Holmes has completely embraced her wrongdoing and knows just how inappropriate and unlawful her conduct was,” her lawyer told the court.

The court heard Holmes was 18 at the time and with a friend when they went to a local park to “relieve themselves” before becoming aware of Mr Quirk and assume he is “watching them”.

“It was just drunken tomfoolery,” her lawyer said.

She argued the 19-year-old had already endured a “high level of punishment” after being shamed publicly and receiving swathes of death threats for posting the footage of her boasting about the attack on social media.

Brad Quirk in the Snapchat video uploaded by Casey Holmes. Picture: Supplied

Magistrate Michael O’Brien dismissed the application for having the charges dealt with under the mental health act despite Holmes being diagnosed with ADHD, major depressive disorder, cannabis use disorder and alcohol-use disorder.

He described the attack as a “fairly serious common assault” and a “most unsavoury incident”.

“If I thought Ms Holmes was having a meltdown as a result of depression and behaved in an outlandish fashion, section 32 may be of assistance,” he said.

“What happened here is she got drunk and became violent as a result of her intoxication.”

Holmes’ lawyer then requested no conviction be recorded as the 19-year-old had “suffered enough”.

Magistrate O’Brien fined the teenager $750 for the attack and recorded the conviction of assault, causing Holmes to break down in the court.

“I don’t think she’s likely to offend again, but the ongoing nature of the event means there must be a conviction recorded,” Magistrate O’Brien said.

“She is at an age where a fine will be a constant reminder not to drink too much.”