Hervey Bay’s Jaylan Walter Jackson pleads guilty to grievous bodily harm
“One minute you’re having a quiet night at the pub and the next, you’re in hospital for a stab wound that could have killed you”. That’s what happened when a Qld man was confronted by this teen.
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A teenager who stabbed a stranger outside a Hervey Bay pub, tearing his insides, has been sentenced.
Jaylan Walter Jackson, 19, pleaded guilty in Hervey Bay District Court on Wednesday to grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning bodily harm.
The court heard the stabbing happened on May 26, 2024, near the Torquay Hotel.
The two victims, aged 36 and 20, had never previously met Jackson and were walking up the Esplanade when Jackson “antagonised them”, indicating he wanted to fight and then punched one man to head, the court was told.
The man had pushed the teen to the ground before Jackson used an “unknown sharp instrument” to stab the man in the stomach, causing a “very serious injury”.
The court heard Jackson had no memory of his actions “because he was so drunk” after downing Jack Daniels, bourbon and beer and also punched the other man.
The two men ran into the Torquay Hotel to find help and it was later revealed the stab wound was three centimetres long and two centimetres deep and had penetrated the man’s stomach and colon.
There was internal haemorrhaging that required emergency surgery and, if untreated, the victim could have bled to death or died of sepsis from the colon injury, the court was told.
The stabbing was captured on CCTV and Jackson was later identified through photo boards and ID scans from the hotel, as well as the footage.
Jackson was tracked down about a month after and had since been in custody for almost eight months.
The court was told Jackson felt deep remorse for his actions and his references showed he was someone who was well regarded and had no prior criminal history.
Judge Ian Dearden noted one of those references was from the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation which spoke highly of him, saying he approached his responsibilities with diligence and had a lot of respect from the elders.
He had signed up to various courses while in jail, including in mechanics and panel beating.
His grandmother and partner were supporting him in court.
Judge Dearden said while there was no victim impact statement, he was sure it would have been an awful experience for the man who was stabbed.
“You think you’re having a quiet night at the pub and the next thing you know you’re in hospital having emergency surgery for a serous stab wound that could have killed you,” he said.
Judge Dearden described the offending as “out of the blue”, which could only be explained by alcohol.
He urged Jackson to address his issues with alcohol and to minimise his risk of getting into trouble again.
Jackson was given a head sentence of five years in jail with a parole eligibility date set for October 21, 2025.
Convictions were recorded.
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Originally published as Hervey Bay’s Jaylan Walter Jackson pleads guilty to grievous bodily harm
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