Retribution: A confrontation with an ex-friend has landed Hayden Laidlaw back behind bars
Parolee Hayden Laidlaw has been put back behind bars after he punched an ex-friend in the face at a servo, believed to be for retribution for an incident that happened two years ago.
Newcastle
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An Edgeworth man, out on parole, is back behind bars after he punched an ex-friend in the face while he was getting fuel at a service station.
Hayden Laidlaw, 20, hasn’t had the best start to life as a court heard he got into drugs since the age of 15, and both of his parents were alcoholics.
Laidlaw’s solicitor said her client was positive for the future and despite having used amphetamines and cannabis daily, he was no longer doing so.
“It hasn’t been a good start for Mr Laidlaw, he has been in custody on three previous occasions but he now has family support and is drug free,” she said.
Last month Laidlaw pleaded guilty to charges of stalk and intimidate and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Court papers revealed Laidlaw had an extensive criminal history for drug, property and driving offences and was only released on parole in September last year.
On December nine, Laidlaw pulled into the Ultra service station at Edgeworth to fuel up when he noticed an old friend doing the same.
He and Nickolas Gilroy had known each other for 10 years and attended the same primary school, but after Mr Gilroy, his father and local residents at Barnsley helped to detain Laidlaw for police when he allegedly tried to steal vehicles, the pair had not spoken for two years.
Court papers said Laidlaw called him a “fu**ing gronk” as he walked in to pay, before threatening “you and your dad had better watch out”.
He then walked over to Mr Gilroy’s open window, reached in and punched him in the mouth before getting back in his vehicle and leaving.
Mr Gilroy sustained two loose teeth from the hit and suffered bleeding.
The police report also stated Mr Gilroy felt targeted and that Laidlaw would cause more harm to his family in retribution for the incident where he detained him a couple of years ago.
Police ended up taking a warrant out for his arrest and Laidlaw was taken in custody, arrested on January 2nd.
In Toronto Local Court on Tuesday, Magistrate Andrew Eckhold said his violence was unacceptable.
“The reality is, you might have been angry with this person but your actions are completely inappropriate,” Magistrate Eckhold said.
“You’re just going to get jailed again, it is not normal.”
Laidlaw was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with a non parole period of four months for the assault charge and given a community corrections order for a period of two years for the stalk and intimidate charge.