Seth Legge: Port Macquarie rugby star stole alcohol, headbutted bystander

A Mid-North Coast rugby player will face sentencing for headbutting an acquaintance so hard the victim needed stitches, after he was booted from a pub.

A Mid-North Coast rugby player will face court for headbutting an acquaintance so hard the victim needed stitches, after he was booted from a pub for stealing alcohol.

Seth Legge, 20.

Seth Legge, 20, pleaded guilty to affray, reckless wounding and larceny in Port Macquarie Local Court on September 16, after a pub assault that ended in the victim being hospitalised.

In taking the plea bargain, additional charges of demand property with menaces with intent to steal, reckless wounding in company, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company of others were withdrawn and dismissed.

The blood-bath began on September 17, 2021, when Legge was booted from a birthday party at Settlers Inn after staff caught him stealing.

Despite the bar being closed and curtained off, Legge took bottles of alcohol out of the fridge, and drinking beer from the tap while being filmed by friends.

The victim, Fred Hanley, and his two friends, Lachlan Morgan-Monk and Riley Cribb, were having dinner and drinks at the pub before they left, around a similar time to Legge.

Hanley’s group made their way to the nearby bottle shop, where they bought a carton of Carlton Dry and a 10-pack of Vodka Cruisers.

The bottle shop at Settlers Inn.

“They had a plan for their friend Mason Moore to pick them up in his car, and they were going to wait for him around the area of the carpark,” agreed police facts recount.

“As Hanley and Cribb were standing at Hanley’s car (with Morgan-Monk following close behind) they saw (Legge’s) group of about 8-10 men and a few women come out of the Settlers Inn.”

While Hanley is friends with Legge’s older brothers, the groups had not been socialising at the pub.

The court heard the offender’s friend, Kael Lowe, jokingly asking “give us a roadie”.

Cribb replied “no”, while Hanley said “f**k off, go get your own.”

One of the men in the Legge’s group offered $50 for the carton of beer, but Cribb said “the bottle shop is just over there, they cost $48”.

Court documents state “Hanley said in an aggressive tone ‘no c**t, the bottle-o is just there. Get your own’,” to which Legge replied “what did you say, c**t?”

Legge headbutted and then punched Hanley, which caused a 3cm laceration near the victim’s eye that “bled heavily”.

The court heard Morgan-Monk moved towards his friend after seeing the assault, but was told to “leave him alone” by a friend of the defendant.

“The man then punched Morgan-Monk to the right side of his jaw,” police facts claim.

“This caused Morgan-Monk’s lip to start bleeding, and for him to spit blood.”

Meanwhile, Legge continued “using unlawful violence towards Cribb and Hanley”.

Cribb tried to calm things down saying “look guys, we are going home. The bottle-o is still open”, but was allegedly met with a punch to the face.

Legge changed his plea in Port Macquarie Local Court on September 16.

Cribb stumbled backwards before running towards the security guards at the entrance of Settlers Inn, chased by Legge and two others in his group.

When Cribb made contact with security, the men following him turned around and headed back to Hanley’s car.

Once Legge’s group were ushered away from the premises Hanley, Morgan-Monk and Cribb noticed that their 10-pack of Cruisers had been taken.

“None of them saw who did this, but it was one of the people in the offender’s group,” agreed facts state.

Hanley was later taken to Port Macquarie Base Hospital, by which time he “was feeling drowsy and his eye and mouth were throbbing with pain”.

He received four stitches to his eyebrow and was diagnosed with lower lip mucosal abrasion.

When questioned by police, Legge agreed that he may have headbutted Hanley but noted “it wasn’t a full, you know, headbutt”.

He also said that he did not recall throwing punches at Hanley or Cribb.

Legge has been on bail since the offence, with the condition he report to police weekly.

When entering his plea, Legge requested to have this rule deleted, which Magistrate Georgina Darcy granted.

The matter is listed for sentence on November 9, 2022.