Brad and Tony Maybury sentenced over Cliftleigh garage stabbing and assault

Tony and Brad Maybury have been sentenced for their parts in a violent confrontation, which included a double stabbing, inside their own garage in the Hunter.

Brad Maybury and Tony Maybury Sr. Picture: Facebook.

A father and son charged over a violent altercation in their garage with the best friend of a dead relative have been sentenced to jail terms they have already served.

Almost two years after being arrested, Brad Maybury and his father, Tony Maybury sr, walked out of Newcastle District Court on Friday as free men.

But it was not before Judge Roy Ellis gave Brad Maybury a warning about his continued violent offending, telling the now 31-year-old he had wasted his 20s by spending most of it behind bars.

“It‘s a pretty important time for you now,” Judge Ellis said.

“You do need to maximise your counselling [and] you do need to recognise that violence is simply not an answer to anything and surely your own personal experience is that it’s never helped you, it has always made your life worse.”

The scene at Cliftleigh following the double stabbing. Picture: Emily Burley

Brad Maybury had pleaded guilty to the malicious wounding of a friend of his dead brother’s following an altercation inside a Cliftleigh garage in March 2021.

He had once been charged with attempted murder before pleading guilty to the lesser charge in December.

Police at the scene at Cliftleigh. Picture: Emily Burley

His 68-year-old father pleaded guilty to common assault after coming to the aid of his son.

It was the end of a long saga which began with the death of Tony’s son and Bradley’s brother Anthony junior in March 2020.

Anthony junior, who had attempted self-harm in the past, was reported missing by his father on March 27 before his body was found on April 13 near Wakefield, in Lake Macquarie.

Investigators formed the view that Anthony junior had taken his own life, but a coroner ruled the cause of death “inconclusive” because of the state of decomposition.

Police at the scene at Cliftleigh. Picture: Emily Burley

The Mayburys and Anthony junior’s best mate, who cannot be named after a non-publication order was granted on Friday, were said to be devastated by the news.

And, according to agreed facts tendered in the Mayburys’ cases on Thursday, the victim was lured to a Cliftleigh address on March 4 last year after Brad Maybury offered him cash, cocaine and a memorial picture of Anthony junior.

The victim arrived at the Shalistan St home with a mate about 12.30am on March 5, and was greeted with a handshake from Brad Maybury and walked into an enclosed garage.

“During this time an argument then a scuffle broke out between the two causing them both to fall to the ground,” the agreed statement of facts said.

“Bradley Maybury stabbed [the victim] with an unknown knifelike object that he either picked up from the floor or a nearby table.

“[The victim] had also grabbed a screwdriver and stabbed Bradley in the chest a couple of times with the screwdriver.

The Cliftleigh crime scene. Picture: Emily Burley.

“[The victim] dropped the screwdriver and the two men continued to struggle on the floor. [The victim] managed to get on top of Bradley.

“At this point [the victim] saw from the corner of his eye the co-accused Tony Maybury enter the garage. Tony Maybury punched [the victim] to the side of the head and said words to the effect of, ‘Oi, get off him you dog’.”

The facts said the man stumbled down the driveway and was driven to Maitland Hospital by his friend before being transferred to John Hunter Hospital where surgeons fixed the 6cm stab wound to the neck after a stab wound to the back was closed up with sutures.

A police investigation began before the Mayburys were arrested on March 18.

Tony Maybury snr was formally sentenced to four months’ jail, which he had already served.

Brad Maybury was sentenced to a maximum jail term of two years and eight months, with a non-parole period of 17 months, which expired on Thursday.

He will remain on parole for 15 months.