Warren Cosgrave charged after allegedly attacking neighbour with golf club following ‘egg throwing’ dispute
A northern beaches man accused of smashing a golf club into his neighbour’s face, knocking him out, has pleaded not guilty and claimed he only had the item for self-defence.
Manly
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A northern beaches man allegedly smashed a golf club into his neighbour’s face, knocking him out for about a minute, during a heated dispute over an “egg throwing” incident, a court has heard.
Police allege Newport man Warren Cosgrave, 56, clashed with his 33-year-old neighbour in the driveway of a block of units in Foamcrest Ave on October 13.
In a statement, police said a “neighbour dispute that commenced over egg throwing” had allegedly culminated in Cosgrave striking the younger man on the left eyebrow with the club.
He was charged as a result with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
When the 56-year-old applied to be released from custody on Wednesday, Manly Local Court heard he had already been on bail at the time of the alleged golf club attack, having been accused of assaulting a man outside the Zubi Bar, at Newport, earlier in the year.
He allegedly struck that man in the face after they got into an argument about 11.15am on March 10.
Cosgrave, who was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault over that alleged incident, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Magistrate Lisa Stapleton was told the alleged golf club attack victim had suffered multiple lacerations to his back when he fell to the ground.
He also suffered a cut to his top lip after Cosgrave allegedly jumped on top of him and pressed the shaft of the golf club against his mouth.
During the bail application, defence lawyer Louis Angelovski said Cosgrave denied hitting the man in the head with the club and disagreed with the version of events put forward by the alleged victim.
“My instructions are that he didn't hit the victim in the head with the golf club and, in fact, had the golf club for self-defence,” Mr Angelovski said.
The solicitor claims the victim had previously been aggressive towards Cosgrave and that his client had been trying to restrain the man, using the golf club, from attacking him.
Ms Stapleton described that alleged assault as an “act of extreme violence with a golf club”.
“It’s a very serious type of weapon,” she said.
“It can cause substantial injuries.”
Ms Stapleton ordered that Cosgrave be released from custody, but imposed a new set of strict bail conditions.
The 56-year-old must report once a week to Dee Why Police Station and cannot go within 100m of the Zubi Bar or Foamcrest Ave.
Hearings for the two separate assault cases have been set down for mid-2025.
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