Dallas Morgan to face trial over bashing of Jake Karlovsky at World Gym Coomera

A floorer accused of assisting a mate to beat a man with a 5kg weight plate at a popular Gold Coast gym will face trial despite claims he “did nothing” during the bashing.

• Locals 'shut out' of booming Gold Coast property market
• ‘Eshay culture’: Not just kids carrying knives on Coast

A FLOORER accused of assisting a mate to beat a man with a 5kg weight plate at a popular gym will face trial despite claims he “did nothing” during the bashing.

Dallas Morgan is accused of helping beat Jake Karlovsky at the World Gym Coomera about 8pm on February 3 last year.

Morgan faced Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he been charged with grievous bodily harm.

Police allege Mr Karlovsky was working out in the gym when James Mau-u approached him and began beating him with a 5kg weight plate.

Mau-u has been charged with grievous bodily harm.

It is alleged Morgan knew what Mau-u had planned and stopped another gym-goer from coming to Mr Karlovsky’s assistance.

Magistrate Kathleen Payne ordered Morgan be committed to stand trial in the Southport District Court.

The decision comes after a two-day committal hearing in October last year and January this year.

During the proceedings CCTV of the incident was repeatedly played to the court showing a man take a weight plate off a rack and using it to beat Mr Karlovsky, who was using a machine nearby.

In the footage it is alleged Morgan is seen talking to the man grabbing the weight plate and then following him to where the bashing takes place.

Morgan is alleged to then stop a man in a black singlet from helping Mr Karlovsky.

Coomera World Gym. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Prosecutor Caitlyn Usher said moments before the incident witnesses said they saw Morgan and Mau-u looking “pissed off and walking staunch”.

Defence solicitor Michael Gatenby, of Gatenby Criminal Lawyers, said there was nothing to suggest Morgan knew what Mau-u had planned or that he was helping him.

“Mr Karlovsky is quite clear my client did nothing which leaves us at a point where my client is merely present,” he said.

“It’s a nonsensical proposition that he was involved where he neither does anything or says anything.”

Mr Gatenby said the footage merely showed Morgan walking to where the disturbance was. He said a number of other witnesses did the same thing.

Morgan stopping the other man from coming to help Mr Karlovsky could also be interpreted as Morgan preventing someone else from harming the alleged victim, Mr Gatenby told the court.

Magistrate Payne ordered Morgan to face trial in the Southport District Court.

The trial is expected to take place in the coming months.

JANUARY 13: GYM BASHING VICTIM 'UNABLE TO REMEMBER' BEING HIT WITH WEIGHT

THE victim of a bashing at a Gold Coast World Gym franchise does not remember being hit with a 5kg weight plate or a second person hitting him, a court was told.

Roadside traffic controller Jake Karlovsky gave evidence during the committal hearing of one of his alleged attackers, Dallas Morgan, in the Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Morgan is charged with grievous bodily harm.

Mr Karlovsky was working out in the World Gym Coomera about 7.30pm on February 3 last year when James Mau-u allegedly began to beat him with a 5kg weight plate.

Mau-u has been charged with grievous bodily harm.

It is alleged Morgan then punched Mr Karlovsky.

FULL DIGITAL ACCESS: JUST $1 FOR FIRST 28 DAYS

Image from CCTV video released by police of an assault at an Upper Coomera Gym. Picture: Queensland Police.

Mr Karlovsky told the court on Wednesday he remembered being hit two to five times with an implement.

He said he did not know what the implement was but was later told by others it was a 5kg weight plate.

The court was told Mr Karlovsky was hit once in the face sending him to the ground.

“He has tried to hit me in the face and I have managed to block it with my arm,” he said.

Mr Karlovsky added he was able to kick this attacker off.

Defence lawyer Michael Gatenby asked Mr Karlovsky if he remembered being hit by a second man.

“That’s something I have been told,” Mr Karlovsky said.

“I don’t recall that.”

Mr Karlovsky admitted he had watched footage of the incident - which had been obtained by the media - six or seven times prior to finalising his statement to police on March 7.

He told the court he did not know a second person, alleged to have been Morgan, was involved in the incident until later.

“I can’t remember him doing anything,” Mr Karlovsky told the court.

He told the court he could not remember being punched in the head at all.

Mr Karlovsky’s evidence came after the court heard on the first day of the committal hearing in October last year that witnesses saw a man beating Mr Karlovsky with a weight plate but looked away because they did not want to be involved.

Magistrate Kathleen Payne adjourned the matter until March 23 as the videolink with Morgan, who is in custody on unrelated matters, had run overtime.

Those in custody must appear in court via videolink due to increased coronavirus restrictions. Each videolink has limited time in order to allow as many cases as possible to be heard.

Mr Gatenby is expected to make a submission in March that there is not enough evidence to prosecute Morgan.

Follow @leae