Batemans Bay man Peter Cameron broke neighbours jaw over dog dispute
A disabled man was left with a broken jaw after tensions between two neighbours in a quiet seaside town boiled over. Find out why the argument turned violent.
The South Coast News
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A Batemans Bay man who broke his neighbour’s jaw in two places during a fight over barking dogs has left the man with a permanent titanium plate following emergency surgery.
Peter Price Cameron, 39, pleaded guilty at Batemans Bay Local Court on Monday to assault occasioning bodily harm and reckless wounding following an altercation on March 13 outside his Surfside rental property, north of Batemans Bay.
About 6.30pm, Cameron’s 52-year-old neighbour was at home with his son when he became agitated by Cameron’s barking dogs, agreed police facts stated.
After seeing Cameron in his yard, the neighbour began shouting at him out the window to keep the dogs quiet.
“Words were said both ways before Cameron said: ‘How about you come say that to my face’,” police facts stated.
“The neighbour has gone to walk outside but was stopped by his son who was concerned for his father due to a disability from a back injury.
“The man is unsteady on his feet and requires a walking stick. He had also been drinking alcohol.”
Pushing past his son, the neighbour confronted Cameron outside the man’s driveway.
“The neighbour pointed a finger at Cameron and yelled: ‘I’ve had enough,’ agreed police facts state.
“‘You don’t do anything about your dogs barking. I live here. You only rent’.”
“Cameron replied: ‘get out of my face’.”
Cameron then stepped forward and punched the man in the jaw.
At that time, the neighbour’s son intervened to separate the two. Both men went back to their respective homes.
Once inside, the neighbour realised he could no longer open his jaw and attended the hospital. In addition to the titanium brace, a tooth was removed to wire his jaw.
On May 3, police attended Cameron’s new Tomakin residence, where he admitted to officers he punched his then-neighbour.
Cameron claimed he had done so in retaliation to his neighbour allegedly calling his girlfriend a “s**t” and that he had also been punched at.
Appearing at Batemans Bay Local Court on Monday, lawyer Wayne Boom said Cameron should have dealt with the confrontation differently.
“The defence of inviting someone over to fight and them coming over is no defence under law,” Mr Boom said.
“Cameron was stronger than the victim, and he caused him substantial injuries.
“The whole situation should have been dealt with differently.”
Magistrate Doug Dick convicted Cameron and sentenced him to a two-year community corrections order.
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