Joshua Dowdy, 32, convicted after late-night unprovoked assault from behind

A boozy pub crawl has seen a telco worker with a history of violence sentenced in court after a late-night coward attack on an unsuspecting victim. Here’s what happened.

Coffs Harbour courthouse. 05 NOV 2019

A boozy pub crawl has seen a telco worker with a history of violence sentenced in court after a late-night coward attack on an unsuspecting victim.

32-year-old Joshua Dowdy faced Coffs Harbour court on Wednesday charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm after attacking a former schoolmate from behind on June 26, 2024 outside the Coffs Harbour Pier Hotel.

The court heard Dowdy had started drinking with friends earlier in the day at the Jetty Beachhouse before continuing at the Pier Hotel, where the victim had “accidentally tripped” and bumped into one of Dowdy’s friends.

Joshua Dowdy leaves Coffs Harbour court on February 12, 2025 after being sentenced for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Court documents reveal the friend then pushed the victim and the pair “wrestled” before hotel security broke them up and turfed Dowdy’s friend out of the premises.

Further evidence before the court shows later that evening, between 11.30pm and 12:30am, outside the venue Dowdy ran towards the victim from 50 metres away and “lunged at the victim” punching him from behind.

Joshua Dowdy has been sentenced after an unprovoked attack on a former school colleague.

The victim fell on a rail resulting in “multiple small lacerations to his left ear, mild abrasions and bleeding from the rear left side of his head”.

Magistrate Theresa Hamilton said the victim’s injuries were “relatively low level” but “the overall circumstances were quite serious”.

Hamilton noted Dowdy had a history of violence dating back to ten years ago and had assaulted the victim “for no reason except something he heard about a prior incident”.

Dowdy, who pleaded guilty on June 22, 2024 to the attack, was sentenced in Coffs Harbour on Wednesday to an 18 month community corrections order.

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