Jed Campbell: Bra Boy sentenced over Kingsford service station assault

More details have emerged about the assault of a 74-year-old man with dementia by a member of the Maroubra’s notorious Bra Boys gang, as he is sentenced over the service station attack.

A member of Sydney’s notorious Bra Boys gang has learned his fate for assaulting an elderly man because he falsely believed the victim was a paedophile, a court heard.

Daceyville local Jed Campbell, 45, was sentenced to three years’ jail over a service station assault which left a 74-year-old man unable to walk without assistance.

Campbell assaulted the elderly victim at Shell Coles Express service station in Kingsford on June 15, 2021.

Campbell’s defence lawyer Gregory Goold said this assault occurred because Campbell mistakenly believed the elderly man was a paedophile.

“(Campbell called) him ‘a f**king pedo’ … it was until after that he came to the realisation that wasn’t the case at all,” Mr Goold said.

Jed Campbell at Maroubra beach.

The court heard the elderly victim was confused and has dementia.

In sentencing, Judge Gina O’Rourke SC said the assault involved multiple kicks, including to the chest area, which caused the victim to fall back and hit an ice-cream freezer.

The Kingsford service station where the assault occurred.

She said there were also open hand slaps and punches, leaving the victim needed surgery.

But she said she must have regard to the objective seriousness, which was somewhere between low and mid-range.

She said while the pair were strangers and the unplanned assault happened in the morning, it was after the victim had approached a child in the car, acted with confusing actions and frightened that child.

“He believed the man was sexually harassing (the child),” Judge O’Rourke said.

“The victim was wearing hoodie pulled up, had a baseball cap on and mask covering his face, which made it impossible for his vulnerability and age to be determined until he pulled his mask off”.

But the prosecution earlier described the man as clearly feeble, saying he walked was a “shuffling gait” and appeared “unsteady on his feet”.

“(The assault) was certainly not a split second outburst,” the prosecution said. “(Campbell) does have prior convictions … they’re offences if not of violence, then of stalking and intimidatory behaviour.”

Mr Goold said this attack sprung from a unique situation.

“(It shows) impulsivity but not impulsivity without background,” Mr Goold said. “(Campbell’s) remorse is tangible”.

Judge O’Rouke said Campbell’s moral culpability was reduced to some degree by his “disturbing and dreadful childhood - one which no child deserves”.

“(A psychologist) reports he suffers acute anxiety, depression and low self-esteem as a result of intergenerational trauma and abuse,” she said.

“His father was an alcoholic uncomfortable with his Aboriginality… his other was a frequent heroin user and just as abusive.”

“He is now successfully employed, has had a successful long term relationship and has fathered two children. This was as spontaneous outburst of anger.”

Campbell was convicted of assault causing reckless grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to a non-parole period of 18 months He will be eligible for parole under his three-year sentence on 13 December this year.

Campbell has remained in custody for one year — ever since the assault occurred.