John-Ross William Thompson attacked neighbour as he went to the gym

A Gold Coast man punched and kicked his neighbour as he was going to the gym leaving the man needing surgery for facial fractures.

A GOLD Coast man needed surgery for facial fractures after he was punched and kicked by his neighbour while on the way to the gym.

John-Ross William Thompson did not give a reason why he attacked the man as he passed his garage on November 5, 2015.

Thompson, now 30, pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Judge Catherine Muir sentenced him to 18 months in prison with immediate parole.

“This schedule (of facts) makes for sorry reading,” she said.

“But it is very much to your credit that there has been five years since your offending.”

Prosecutor Kathleen Christopherson said Thompson’s 41-year-old neighbour was going to the gym when he walked past Thompson working in his garage early in the morning.

Thompson hit his neighbour in the head, kicked him and put his arm across his throat all without provocation, the court was told.

“He then pushed him face first into the wall and punched him several times in the face,” Ms Christopherson said.

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She said the neighbour was left with bruising and swelling and needed surgery to fix facial fractures.

“It clearly would have been a very frightening and painful situation,” she said.

Defence barrister Patrick Wilson, instructed by Moloney MacCallum Abdelshahied Lawyers, said Thompson had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was off his medication at the time.

He said since the attack Thompson had gotten a new medication regimen, was sticking to it and felt better than he ever had.