Named and shamed: Gold Coast’s violent offenders who have faced court Part 2

From spitting in a cop’s face to terrifying domestic violence and gutless coward punches - these people have faced Gold Coast courts for their violent behaviour.

In the past year, 4001 assault offences were recorded in the Gold Coast police district.

This equates to an average of just over 76 assaults occurring each week.

Since July 26, 2021, there were 6327 assaults in the Brisbane police district – an average of 121 each week.

Many believe the key to reducing our alarming crime figures is tougher sentencing to act as a deterrent for others.

But Bond University criminologist Terry Goldsworthy said generally speaking, greater penalties did not result in better deterrence.

Dr Goldsworthy said the context of the crime, such as whether drugs or alcohol were involved, should be taken into account in sentencing decisions.

“We know that increased penalties don’t generally result in better deterrence,” he said.

“It comes down to a cultural shift rather than punishing your way out of behaviors like this.”

Read on as the Bulletin takes a look back at six Gold Coast violent offenders who faced court for their crimes in recent months.

Does the punishment fit the crime? You be the judge.

Avdo Bise

Avdo Bise. Picture: Facebook

A Gold Coast university student coward punched a man in a Brisbane nightclub after he was asked to leave two of the man’s female friends alone.

Avdo Bise did not stop at one punch and struck the man a further five or six times until bystanders were able to stop him.

The 21-year-old claimed he attacked the man because he thought he was going to be shanked.

His victim went to hospital with a fractured orbital socket, bleeding and bruises.

He needed screws and plates to fix the fracture.

Bise pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court to grievous bodily harm.

Judge Rowan Jackson sentenced him to three years’ prison with immediate parole. Bise has spent no time in custody.

Reece Latta

A Gold Coast man who dragged his former girlfriend down a flight of stairs and injured her father with a rock says his life “spiralled out of control” after a relationship breakdown.

Reece Allan Latta, 27, pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrates Court to 24 charges including assault occasioning bodily harm, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and evasion.

The court was told Latta, formerly of Tweed Heads, lived a successful and productive life as a concreter before a relationship breakdown in 2019 led him to becoming a homeless drug user.

In February, the 27-year-old attended the Labrador home of a woman he had been dating and started banging and kicking the door.

When there was no answer, Latta broke into the unit and found the woman in her bedroom.

He then physically dragged her out of the room and down a flight of stairs so forcefully her head started hitting the walls, the court was told.

Other occupants of the building had to physically intervene to stop the man.

That same month, Latta broke a fence panel to gain entry to the home of his girlfriend’s father.

Latta and the man had a brief verbal exchange before the 27-year-old picked up a rock and threw it in the direction of his girlfriend’s father, the court was told.

The rock hit a fence panel, rebounded and connected with the man’s arm and elbow, causing a minor cut.

Magistrate Dzenita Balic sentenced Latta to 120 days imprisonment, including 103 days he spent in pre-sentence custody.

He received an 18-month prison probation.

Convictions were recorded.

Chiara Belinda McKibbin

A former Gold Coast woman who spat in the mouth of a police officer and punched them in the groin and kicked a second officer in the face has walked from court.

Chiara Belinda McKibbin attacked the officers three times in one day after they were called to a disturbance in Pacific Pines.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court to three counts of serious assault on a police officer.

Judge Deborah Holliday sentenced McKibbin to 15 months’ prison wholly suspended and two years’ probation.

The court was told police were called to Pacific Pines at about 11.03am on December 2, 2020 after a disturbance in a home.

McKibbin was inside, highly intoxicated and refused to leave.

When police officers told her she was under arrest she became agitated.

The court was told one of the officers placed a hand on her arm and McKibbin punched them in the groin before fleeing outside.

The dog squad located her in a nearby backyard.

The court was told as officers tried to place McKibbin in the car she struck out and kicked an officer in the face.

Later that day McKibbin was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital where she struck out at hospital staff.

The same police officer she punched in the groin came to help hold her down and McKibbin spat phlegm in his face.

The court was told the spittle went in the officers’ mouth and also hit his eye.

The officer needed to have three blood tests to ensure they had not picked up any communicable diseases.

Defence barrister James McNab said McKibbin, who now lives in South Australia, was intoxicated at the time.

“She is ashamed and extremely remorseful,” he said.

Andrew Phillip Maynard

A painter told his partner she was “under my control now” before choking her into unconsciousness during an hour-long attack.

Andrew Phillip Maynard stopped his partner from leaving their Gold Coast caravan, choked her, pushed her into a bench, cutting her nose, choked her into unconsciousness and then pushed her into the floor.

She tried to leave before and during the attack on June 9 last year.

As she tried to leave he told her: “You make me want to punch the f*** out of you.

“You are not going anywhere, you are under my control now.”

The woman was able to sneak out of the caravan when Maynard fell asleep.

She walked to the Gold Coast University Hospital.

Maynard, 35, pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court to multiple charges including strangulation, deprivation of liberty and assault.

Judge Michael Williamson sentenced him to three years’ prison with parole release on June 8.

Maxwell Alfred Abel

Maxwell Alfred Abel. Picture: Social media.

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.

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

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.

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.

Jack Isaac Waterman

A former apprentice chef who launched himself into a brawl in a nightclub toilet had no memory of what happened.

Jack Isaac Waterman saw a fight start in the toilets at the Bedroom Lounge Bar in Surfers Paradise on November 13 last year and grabbed a man by the throat and slammed him into a wall.

Minutes later he and another man attacked the first victim’s friend, punching him repeatedly until he was left unconscious on the bathroom floor.

Waterman did not know anyone involved in the toilet melee.

Waterman pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court to assault occasioning bodily harm and common assault.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Nicole Conditsis said the first victim went into the nightclub’s toilets about 2am and knocked on the cubicles to see if they were occupied.

He waited until one became free.

A man emerged from the cubicle and demanded to know who touched the door.

The victim went to use the vacated cubicle when that man ripped the door open and punched him in the head.

Sgt Conditsis said that is when Waterman entered the toilet grabbed the first victim by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

The victim tried to defuse it saying he did not want to fight and managed to escape into a cubicle.

That is when the victim’s friend came into the toilets looking for him.

Waterman and the other man attacked - punching him to the head until he was knocked unconscious.

The first victim heard a loud thump and exited the cubicle to see his friend unconscious on the ground.

Magistrate Kerry Magee sentenced Waterman to eight months’ prison to be wholly suspended for 18 months. She also ordered Waterman pay $1000 in compensation.

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