Anthony Milford pleads guilty to public nuisance and wilful damage

A Brisbane court has been told of the wild night bystanders intervened after a heated verbal argument between Anthony Milford and his partner at a Fortitude Valley nightclub.

Former gun NRL player Anthony Milford has escaped court without a conviction after throwing a wheelie bin into a car windscreen following a verbal stoush with his partner in a Brisbane nightclub.

But it was the punishment, including the loss of big NRL money, that Milford had already been dealt that his barrister urged the court to consider at Monday’s sentencing.

The 27-year-old pleaded guilty to wilful damage and public nuisance while the most serious and career damaging charges – three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm – were dropped against him.

The court heard that Milford was out with his partner in Fortitude Valley on September 20 when the intoxicated pair had a verbal argument in a nightclub.

His partner left and Milford pursued her along Marshall St grabbing her arms and holding them against her. Milford’s “forcefulness” prompted bystanders to intervene.

Anthony Milford pleaded guilty to public nuisance and wilful damage. Picture: Brad Fleet

A woman “verbally and physically confronted” Milford while others shielded his partner from him, the court heard. A scuffle ensued with pushing and shoving including between Milford and the woman who had confronted him.

A frustrated Milford grabbed a wheelie bin and threw it at the road where it collided with a car and smashed the windscreen, the court heard.

The woman grabbed at his hands and Milford pushed her causing her to fall down, her head hitting the concrete causing severe neck and shoulder pain, the court heard.

Anthony Milford was dumped by the Broncos after six years of playing service.

Milford’s barrister Kim Bryson said the offending was borne out of “misunderstandings” and the bystanders who intervened “wrongly thought that his partner was in need of protection”. She said it was “quite astounding” how being charged with the three now dismissed assault offences had impacted her client.

“The financial consequences for Mr Milford as a result of losing his employment runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” she said.

Ms Bryson said the media attention had been damaging and asked Magistrate Robbie Davies to take this extra-curial punishment into account for sentencing.

Bennett supplied a compelling character reference for Milford.

Coaching legend Wayne Bennett gave a character reference which Mr Davies said carried “quite significant weight”.

“He speaks very highly of you, and was very surprised that you find yourself in a situation,” he said.

Mr Davies said Milford caused a public nuisance “in an unpleasant way and driven by some hostility towards your partner”.

“I don’t assume you were going to do anything bad but you certainly went after her and when other people were worried and concerned by the forcefulness in your movements they got involved and it led to that incident,” he said.

Milford’s offending was at the lower end of seriousness, he said. Milford was placed on a two-year $1000 good behaviour bond with no conviction recorded and ordered to pay $2370 to the car’s owner.

Originally published as Anthony Milford pleads guilty to public nuisance and wilful damage