Penrith Panthers: Kemal Isguzar faces court after alleged Panthers rampage
A teenager who allegedly carried out a string of offences on a night out, including throwing a fire extinguisher at an eight-year-old girl, has told a court he believes his drink was spiked.
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A teenager who police allege threw a fire extinguisher at an eight-year-old girl at the Panthers precinct on Saturday night has told a court his drink “may have been tampered with”.
Kemal Isguzar, 18, of Doonside, was arrested on Saturday night after he allegedly assaulted four different people during a series of allegedly unprovoked attacks at the Panthers precinct.
He was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray, common assault, assault a police officer during the execution of duty, and three counts of intimidating police officer during the execution of duty.
Police allege Isguzar first assaulted a man inside the Panthers League Club while he was waiting to enter a licenced premises about 10pm.
About 25 minutes later, Isguzar allegedly punched 19-year-old James Randall in the head near the Krispy Kreme outlet before he ran into the Mercure Hotel.
Once inside, police allege Isguzar followed a young family to their hotel room where he struck a 28-year-old man, who can’t be named, in the head with a fire extinguisher.
He then allegedly threw the extinguisher at the man’s eight-year-old daughter, who was taken to hospital with a laceration above her ear.
He fled the hospital and allegedly assaulted Constable Nicholas Dowsett before his arrest on Ransley St.
Later, at Nepean Hospital, Isguzar allegedly threatened to kill three police officers while he was under police guard.
During a bail hearing before Magistrate Bree Chisholm at Penrith Local Court, Isguzar’s lawyer told the court the alleged offending was “completely out of character”.
“He believes his drink may have been tampered with,” he said.
“A police sergeant I spoke with has the same view, it’s not something a person usually does.”
His lawyer said Isguzar could agree to a condition to not leave his house unless for work or accompanied by his mother, not drink alcohol or take drugs, and not enter any licensed premises.
“The conditions are fairly strict,” he said.
“He’s got strong ties to the community, and he works full-time as an apprentice floorer. He would lose that apprenticeship if he remains in custody.”
The prosecution opposed bail, describing the alleged offending as “random, unprovoked attacks on members of the public”.
“This is a strong prosecution case,” he said.
“It was captured on high-quality CCTV, there are multiple witnesses, and his interactions with police were caught on body-worn video.
“We believe a lengthy custodial sentence is an inevitability.”
Magistrate Chisholm denied bail, saying there were not bail conditions that could address the risk to community safety.
Isguzar will next appear in Penrith Local Court on September 7.