How Miranda bar fight ended in tears for bashing victim
A young woman was left battered and bruised with her hair torn out after three girlfriends savagely bashed her in a southern Sydney hotel’s beer garden.
St George Shire Standard
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A gang of girlfriends savagely bashed a woman as she cowered helplessly in a beer garden after a bar fight turned ugly at a southern Sydney venue.
Tayhla Fernley, Bianca Rees and Tahlia Milton pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm for their roles in an appalling melee at Miranda Hotel on June 2 which left their young female victim significantly bruised and battered.
Caringbah childcare worker Fernley, 20, threw the first punch before Rees kicked and pummelled the victim as she tried to protect herself, then Milton approached and threw “three hammer strike punches” down on the victim’s head.
A verbal disagreement had devolved into chaos after Milton’s boyfriend threw a drink at the victim, who retaliated by throwing her drink and a water bottle which hit Fernley’s shoulder.
“Fernley pushed the victim in the chest, (who) continued to back away from Fernley and Rees, and Fernley continued to walk towards the victim at which time the victim became cornered against the wall,” agreed police facts stated.
“Fernley then punched the victim with her right fist, hitting the victim to the left side of her face.”
Magistrate Sharon Freund at Sutherland Local Court described Fernley’s behaviour as “abhorrent” and sentenced her to a community corrections order including 200 hours of community service for her part in the shocking assault.
“Wow, she consumed 15 to 20 drinks, it’s a wonder she was still standing,” Ms Freund told the court in disbelief.
“The circumstances are quite horrendous reading, for want of a better description – that is nothing to be proud of and this behaviour is not to be tolerated.”
Milton will be sentenced on September 19, while Rees will be sentenced on October 24.
Agreed police facts reveal the victim sustained “swelling and bruising to both sides of her face, bruising around both eyes, a scratch on her left cheek and bruising to both arms”, and chunks of her hair were pulled out.
It took several members of the public, security and the hotel manager to pull Rees off the victim.
“Rees kicked and punched the victim as she attempted to protect herself, putting her arms up to protect her head and face,” the agreed facts stated.
“While the victim was being attacked by Rees, Milton approached the melee and threw three hammer strike punches with her right hand down on the victim’s head.”
Rees continued to attack the victim for 25 seconds before she was pulled off.
Fernley’s Legal Aid solicitor Natasha Rudduck said Fernley regretted her actions.
“She knows it was very stupid,” Mrs Rudduck told the court.
“There might have been some degree of provocation with something being thrown at her but nothing justifies that.”
Fernley admitted to police she had punched the victim after identifying herself in CCTV footage of the incident because she was “angry” about being hit with the water bottle.
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