Newcastle FIFO worker Mitchell Toogood charged over alleged bashing at Orange pub

The alleged victim told bar staff he had no recollection of the assault, despite suffering a fractured nose and a split lip. He said he thought he may have fallen off his chair instead.

Mitchell Toogood is facing a single count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over his alleged role in a violent bashing in a pub at Orange in July. Pictured: Supplied

A fly-in, fly-out worker alleged to have bashed a stranger unconscious in a drunken, unprovoked assault inside a central west hotel, has been released on bail to undergo intensive treatment for chronic alcohol addiction.

Police will allege Mitchell Toogood, 37, punched Nathanael Mells up to 15 times then kicked him in the head as he lay unconscious on the floor of Orange’s Royal Hotel in a pool of his own blood.

Documents tendered to the NSW Supreme Court reveal the entire incident was recorded on the pub’s CCTV cameras.

Toogood, who the court heard lived at Newcastle but worked as a mechanical superintendent on the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project in Cooma, was arrested 12 hours later and charged with a single count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was remanded in custody for more than four months before Acting Justice Robert Hulme agreed to grant him strict conditional bail to attend a 12-week live-in alcohol treatment program at Odyssey House.

The court heard Toogood is a fly-in, fly-out worker on the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project in Cooma.

A medical report tendered to the court revealed Toogood told a psychologist both his father and stepfather abused alcohol and he began drinking himself at the age of 15, soon becoming a severe binge drinker.

The court heard he would get “black-out” drunk every night during his weeks off work and was intoxicated at the time of the alleged assault.

Police will allege Mr Mells was playing the pokies and speaking to his girlfriend on the phone just after midnight on July 25 when Toogood began interjecting in his conversation, resulting in the pair getting into a physical confrontation.

The court heard Toogood allegedly put Mr Mells in a headlock, prompting Mr Mells to raise his hands in the air as a sign of surrender.

However, police will allege Toogood punched him 15 times, leaving him “visibly disorientated”, then kicked him “forcefully to the head” as he lay slumped against a chair.

The court heard Toogood left Mr Mells passed out on the floor and walked out of the gaming room. Mr Mells regained consciousness two-and-a-half minutes later.

“A pool of blood is visible on the floor under where his head was resting as the complainant struggles on the floor,” court documents said.

The court heard Mr Mells had no recollection of the assault and told bar staff who found him on the floor that he believed he had fallen off his chair.

Meanwhile, medical records revealed Mr Mells suffered a split lip, a concussion, heavy swelling and a fractured nose, as well as ligament damage to his ankle as a result of the attack.

Toogood declined to be interviewed when arrested by police.

The case will return to court early this year for further mention.