Maxwell Alfred Abel jailed for coward punch of brother-in-law at 21st birthday

A man was hugging his brother-in-law just seconds before he landed a punch to his head during a drunken outburst. READ THE DETAILS

A man was hugging his brother-in-law just seconds before he landed a coward punch to his head during a drunken outburst at a 21st birthday party, a court was told.

Maxwell Alfred Abel, 39, hit his brother-in-law in the side of the head with a clenched fist, resulting in him falling to the ground unconscious.

The victim couldn’t remember anything until he woke up in hospital with a burst eardrum and broken ribs sustained during the fall.

The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge of assault occasioning bodily harm via videolink in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday.

The sickening attack occurred at a 21st birthday party held for Abel’s niece at a Gympie property on January 15, 2022.

Maxwell Alfred Abel. Picture: Social media.

Abel’s lawyer Michael Gatenby said his client could not recall the incident because he was drunk.

“He hasn’t had any alcohol since the last offence that appears on his criminal history. He knows alcohol is a problem for him,” Mr Gatenby said.

“Unfortunately, he’s one of those members of the community that just can’t consume alcohol because he reacts poorly when he’s under the influence of it.”

The court was told Abel had a troubled family life and his parents introduced him to drugs when he was 14.

Magistrate Dzenita Balic took into account the seriousness of the incident, as well as Abel’s guilty plea and “excellent” work history when she handed down the sentence.

“Hitting someone to the head area or the neck area is a particularly dangerous thing to do ... people die from that – it just takes one punch,” Ms Balic said.

“Violence in the community is a very serious issue.”

Abel was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment with a parole release date of August 1.

He had already served four months in pre-sentence custody.

A conviction was recorded.

Follow @Melwhiting