Jake Tilden pleads guilty to assaulting man in Surfers Paradise park

A man claims he was threatened moments before beating another man as he laid on the ground in a Gold Coast park.

Jake Tilden. Picture: Jessica Paul

An aspiring army man has claimed his attack on a stranger in a park was provoked by a “threat”.

An altercation broke out between Jake Bailey Tilden and the other man in a Surfers Paradise park after 1am on August 3 last year.

CCTV footage played in Southport Magistrates Court showed Tilden repeatedly striking his victim as they laid on the ground.

The other man suffered facial bruising and swelling around his eye.

Defence lawyer Cheonton Strickland said the assault was out of character for Tilden, who was “extremely intoxicated” at the time and claimed to have been threatened by his victim beforehand.

Mr Strickland said the labourer had previously been diagnosed with depression, but was taking initiative in his rehabilitation and had applied to join the Australian Defence Force.

“Ultimately he just regrets those actions on the day,” he said.

Magistrate Mark Bamberry told Tilden he was lucky his victim was not more seriously injured, and needed to learn better ways of handling situations than “lashing out”.

“You’re very lucky this person wasn’t hurt more seriously than they were,” he said.

Tilden pleaded guilty to several offences including assault occasioning bodily harm.

He was placed on probation for 12 months, fined $500, and ordered to pay $750 in compensation to his victim. No conviction was recorded.