Three thugs sentenced for brutal Woonona bashing

An atrocious attack on three victims during broad daylight in the Illawarra’s north has been labelled a “gross overreaction to a minor traffic discourtesy“.

Tray Nelson, Ben Fuller and Jason Weldon were sentenced on Friday.

A trio of thugs who bashed a father seeking to avenge an assault on his daughter have been sentenced for the shocking attack that left the victim in hospital for four days with a plethora of injuries.

Ben Fuller, Tray Naylor and Jason Leigh Weldon all learnt their fate in Wollongong District Court on Friday for the violent daylight assault, with only the latter being spared a full-time prison sentence.

Fuller, the offender facing the most egregious charges, adhered to his previous guilty pleas to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in the company of others, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of common assault, reckless grievous bodily harm in the company of others and demand property with menaces with intent to steal.

Naylor and Weldon also adhered to their previously guilty pleas to common assault and reckless grievous bodily harm in the company of others.

Judge Andrew Haesler set out the facts, stating a “very small incident sparked the confrontation” on the morning of Friday, July 30, 2021 but it led to three people being injured.

The court heard a 20-year-old man was driving off from his girlfriend‘s place on Campbell St, Woonona when Fuller was pulling out of a driveway.

The two drivers slammed on the brakes to avoid a collision, however, Judge Haesler said Fuller “tragically got out of the car” before confronting the man who he had never met.

Ben Fuller faced the most egregious charges of the trio. Picture: Facebook

“What are you doing c- -t? Are you trying to hit me or something?” Fuller said before punching the 20-year-old through the window.

Fuller also demanded the victim hand over his keys, but he returned to his car and drove off to a nearby address.

The court heard the victim returned to his 19-year-old girlfriend‘s abode to tell her what had occurred.

She went to confront Fuller who grabbed her by the throat so hard “she could hardly breath” and punched her twice in the face.

The girlfriend‘s aggrieved father arrived at the unit soon after, knocking on the door and calling out “Where’s the bloke that just punched my daughter?”.

All three of the thugs were in the unit along with Weldon’s mother who tried to pacify the situation, however, they stormed past her with Fuller taking several swings at the man and knocking him to the ground.

Jason Weldon avoided a full-time prison sentence. Picture: Facebook

Weldon punched the prone man, while at the same time Naylor landed another punch on the boyfriend who fell to the ground before he was kicked in the ribs.

The girlfriend‘s father tried to protect the boyfriend, but Naylor wrestled him to the ground while the girlfriend ran down the driveway filming the confrontation on her phone.

The vision, which was played in court, showed Weldon running at the father with a tree branch that he struck him with while Naylor hit him with a skateboard.

The three offenders repeatedly kicked the father, with Fuller yelling “You‘re about to die c - - t how does that feel”.

The daughter called Triple-0 as a female passer-by and council workers went to the victims’ aid.

Tray Naylor has a criminal history in Queensland and NSW. Picture: Facebook

Paramedics took the father to Wollongong Hospital where he remained for four days, having suffered a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and a laceration to his scalp, along with heavy bruising and swelling across his body.

Judge Haesler said “nothing excuses what each of the men did” before turning to Fuller, 39, and describing his initial assault of the boyfriend as an ”unnecessary and gross over-reaction to a minor traffic discourtesy”.

In regards to the father of two‘s attack on the girlfriend, Judge Haesler said “You don’t treat anyone that way let alone young woman”.

“There was no reason for him to attack the third person, no matter what was said or done, he was in the wrong,” he said.

The court heard Fuller had been convicted of “many matters of violence” and had been to jail ”a number of times”.

The three men were sentenced in Wollongong District Court on Friday.

This incident occurred while he was serving an intensive corrections order from 2020.

Fuller was ordered to serve a three-year jail sentence with a non-parole period of two years meaning, with time already served, he could be eligible for release in August, 2023.

Judge Haesler labelled Naylor‘s offending as “another spontaneous over-reaction” while noting his criminal history in Queensland and NSW, including a knife attack in Coonamble.

Naylor was jailed for two years and six months, with a non-parole period of one year and seven months.

The 24-year-old man was on bail for part of the period since the offence, meaning with time already served he could be eligible for parole on June, 2023

Judge Haesler opted against sending Weldon to jail given the 24-year-old‘s “progress” while on remand at rehabilitating himself.

“If I send him to jail, the cycle will be broken and the progress will be set aside,” Judge Haesler said, before placing him on an intensive correction order for a period of two years and three months.

An ICO is also known as jail in the community.