Mason Bradford ‘Zuckles’: YouTuber bashes Uber drivers at Surfers Paradise after mental health decline
A court has heard that a prominent Youtuber, whose mental health took a turn due to drug use, bashed two Uber drivers on the same night at Surfers Paradise. Read what happened here.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A prominent Youtuber has been sentenced after he assaulted two Uber drivers in the same night at Surfers Paradise.
Twitch streamer and gaming Youtuber Mason Bradford, otherwise known as ‘Zuckles’, pleaded guilty to one count of common assault and one count of assault occasioning bodily harm when he appeared before the Southport Magistrates Court on Monday, April 14.
The 25-year-old Geelong-based content creator, who was a member of the ‘Misfits’ YouTube channel and has amassed 1.21 million subscribers, was supported in court by his Muay Thai fighter father Chris ‘AK47’ Bradford.
The court heard an Uber driver accepted a booking request around 9.53pm and picked up Mason Bradford as a passenger at a Surfers Paradise address on September 24, 2023.
The driver, while travelling to Cali Beach nightclub, stopped at a red light when he felt a sudden punch to his left shoulder.
The court heard Bradford used both hands to try push the driver out of the car while repeatedly saying “get out of the car”.
The man turned off the ignition and exited the vehicle but Bradford ran away.
Later at 11.30pm, another Uber driver accepted a booking request at Acacia Ave, Surfers Paradise and picked up Bradford who sat in the front passenger seat.
The court heard the driver stopped to turn the car when Bradford started throwing punches.
Bradford punched the man on his left shoulder and left side of his face ten to fifteen times, and broke off the car’s rear view mirror in the process.
The driver turned off the car after Bradford pushed him outside of the vehicle, and waited a short distance away from the car.
The court heard Bradford left the car, shouting words to the effect of “call the police, I don’t care” before running away again.
Bradford’s defence lawyer Corey Cullen from Cullen Lawyers noted a forensic psychological report talked about Bradford’s history of a psychotic disorder.
The court heard Bradford travelled to America as a teenager, took drugs and has suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and hallucinations.
Mr Cullen noted a period of imprisonment would have an impact on his client who has no criminal history and travels internationally for work in relation to his YouTube channel.
Magistrate Veena Goverdhan said Bradford’s actions that night were appalling.
She said the psychological report told her Bradford made a choice to take drugs, has struggled with periods of psychosis, and has not been able to move away from the substance.
“I’m going to put it quite plainly – if you take drugs, it fries your brain and it fries your body,” she said.
She said Bradford had made the choice not to engage in a substance abuse treatment program but was reporting to a psychologist.
“Your Honour, I’ve been trying to turn my life around a lot lately and making better decisions,” Bradford said.
“Well if you don’t it will affect you, it will affect your future,” Ms Goverdhan said.
She fined Bradford $2,500.
He was also ordered to pay a total of $3,400 and $5,635 respectively in compensation to the Uber drivers.
Gold Coast PT faces child sex, child abuse material charges
The young man who worked at a series of gyms in the northern Gold Coast has faced court for the first time after he was charged with having sex with a minor and possessing child abuse material.
Rugby legend, insurer sued after alleged red-light T-bone crash
The CTP insurer of a hero of Australia’s 2003 Rugby World Cup is being sued after the legendary playmaker, who now owns a financial advisory, allegedly ran a red light and caused a collision on the Gold Coast.