Joss Albert Galbraith kicked the teeth out of his partner’s ex in a brutal attack in Bargo

A man kicked his partner’s ex in the face repeatedly, leaving the victim in an induced coma with only a handful of teeth left and needing titanium plates and screws to hold his face together.

A man has been jailed for a brutal barefoot kicking attack on his partner’s ex which left the victim in an induced coma with only a handful of teeth left and needing titanium plates and screws to hold his face together.

Joss Albert Galbraith, 36, appeared in Picton Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm to the victim.

At 5pm on February 5 last year, the victim arrived at a house in Bargo where his former partner lived with Galbraith. However, when he arrived there was a disagreement about an arrangement made between the victim and his former partner.

Joss Albert Galbraith was jailed for a brutal assault on his partner's ex during which he kicked the victim's face repeatedly, fracturing his facial bones and numerous teeth. Picture: Adelaide Lang

According to the documents tendered to the court, Galbraith then stepped forward and the victim raised his hand to move him aside. According to the facts, both men grabbed each other by the shirt-front and they began pushing each other until they fell to the ground.

Galbraith managed to stand and kicked the victim hard in the face, the documents state. The victim told police his vision became blurry and he was unaware of how many times he was kicked because of the forceful impacts.

The police facts show the victim was bleeding profusely from his facial wounds and couldn’t see out of his left eye as he was unable to move on the blood-spattered ground.

The victim was able to stumble to his car but couldn’t call an ambulance because his phone was covered in his blood, the facts state.

The facts show he managed to contact his partner who called the ambulance, but he was spitting blood throughout the journey to Liverpool Hospital and had to be placed in an induced coma on arrival.

“I was choking on my own blood and couldn’t breathe,” the victim told the court in a statement.

As well as extensive soft tissue swelling, doctors noted the victim had loose upper teeth, fractured teeth, an upper jaw fracture and the bones in the left side of his face had caved in.

Joss Albert Galbraith was jailed on March 15 at Picton court. Picture: Adelaide Lang

Surgery was required to realign the bones of his face and install titanium plates to allow him to open his mouth again. The victim notes there are now five titanium plates and 28 screws in his face, with four screws to hold his jaw together.

The victim was in hospital for two weeks and will need weekly appointments with surgeons for the foreseeable future.

Documents tendered to the court state the victim may suffer residual numbness, altered sensation in his left cheek, permanent scarring on his eyelids, asymmetry and ongoing pain for the rest of his life.

In a statement to the court, the victim said only six of his teeth remain after the attack and he is unable to eat normal food.

“The impact from the assault has taken a huge toll on mine and my family’s lives,” he said.

“Simple everyday tasks I struggle to complete, from talking on the phone to being able to sit down and have a meal with my family.”

Documents tendered to the court show Galbraith showed no insight into his offending, and even suggested the victim deserved the attack.

The documents show he had a turbulent and troubled youth which may have contributed to his depressive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.

Joss Albert Galbraith was taken into custody after the magistrate made his decision. Picture: Adelaide Lang

The court heard Galbraith was previously jailed for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and involvement in a brawl, which Magistrate Mark Douglass said should have been the impetus for positive change.

However, he noted Galbraith – who worked as a turkey catcher for Ingham’s before his arrest – had not addressed his mental health issues. The magistrate said the court needed to send a clear message to the offender.

“It’s a matter of domestic violence which impacts emphatically on the offence,” he said.

“The injury and emotional harm was substantial.”

Magistrate Douglass sentenced Galbraith to 18 months in jail with an 11 month non-parole period.