Beau Jordan Clarke: Brother’s tragic death leads to Surfers Paradise punch up

The anniversary of a horrific death was looming when this 30-year-old man split a man’s cheek and punched a woman in the head, a court has heard. Read his sentencing details.

A Gold Coast man was “emotional and drunk” in the lead-up to the anniversary of his brother’s death when he split a man’s cheek and punched a woman in the head, a court has heard.

Beau Jordan Clarke, 30, pleaded guilty to assaults occasioning bodily harm, committing public nuisance and common assault when he appeared at Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The police prosecutor said Clarke had gone of a spree of violence that started with punching a man outside the Hollywood Showgirls strip club, getting into a fist-fight at a McDonalds and later fighting another man on Cavill Ave on the evening of August 3, 2024.

As a result of the fight, the male victim was left with a split cheek, and bruising.

During Clarke’s second punch-on, a woman who had been watching his behaviour stepped in to try stop the fighting but Clarke punched her in the head, leaving her on the ground.

Clarke’s lawyer Martin Longhurst said the offences happened close to the first anniversary of the death of his brother, Kyah McDonald.

Mr McDonald died in a horrific workplace explosion when a truck burst into flames at an Isuzu dealership in October, 2022.

Mr Longhurst said his client was emotional and drunk in the lead up to the anniversary.

He his client, who didn’t remember the assault, had been receiving psychological treatment for anger management and alcohol use.

In sentencing, Magistrate Nerida Wilson extended her condolences to Clarke and his family but noted that Clarke’s criminal history, including public nuisance offences, predated Kyah’s death.

“So my point here is that your propensity to violence hasn’t arisen directly as a result of your brother’s death,” she said.

“It was there in some way, shape or form and you are now faced with the very real prospect of imprisonment and you have taken it upon yourself to finally address whatever it is that triggers you.”

Ms Wilson said Clarke was not a safe person to be out on the streets while drunk and the fact that he couldn’t remember these events was horrifying.

“There used to be a public policy campaign that one punch can kill,” she said.

“I don’t know what it’s going to take for young men to understand that that is a truth. It’s not just a throw-away line.

“It happens every single month and it happens perhaps proportionality more on the Gold Coast and Brisbane than anywhere else.

“The propensity of high build-up areas, nightclubs, alcohol, young people is a molotov cocktail, sir.”

She sentenced Clarke to 12 months imprisonment with immediate release on parole.

She also ordered him to pay $1500 and $500 in restitution to the male and female victim respectively.