Paul Joseph Green sparks Stapylton BP punch-up over use of squeegee

A Gold Coast truckie charged over an unprovoked assault at a BP servo says the fight was sparked over a window squeegee. Read why

Squeegee sparks unprovoked assault at Gold Coast service station.

A Gold Coast truckie who launched a barrage of punches at a fellow driver in an unprovoked attack at a service station has blamed his victim and their use of the ‘communal squeegee’ for his angry outburst.

Paul Joseph Green unleashed in the violent attack at the BP in Stapylton around 6.30pm on June 12 last year, in full view of witnesses and CCTV.

“The victim was filling up his truck at pump 23. He started to clean the wheels of his truck,” Senior Constable Pam Rhodes told Southport Magistrates Court, where Green pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm.

“The defendant (Green) has then asked the victim why he was cleaning his wheels, to which the victim replied that they were dirty.

“The victim in this matter has continued to clean the wheels of the truck while the defendant started yelling abuse at him from the other side of the bowser.”

The attack unfolded at the BP truck stop and service station at Stapylton.

When the 47-year-old was asked by his victim what his problem was, he turned violent, punching the man in the left side of his face before unleashing another four blows.

“The victim and defendant then wrestled for a short time until the victim managed to take the defendant to the ground,” Senior Constable Rhodes said.
“Bystanders have then approached and separated both males. Police watched the CCTV footage in relation to the incident which clearly shows an unprovoked assault.”

Defence lawyer Blake Fraser said Green was a father of seven who runs a successful transport company and the offending was “out of character”.

“He became bothered on the day by the victim’s use of the communal squeegee that is normally used for cleaning windows,” Mr Fraser said.

“When raising his concerns about the potential damage that may cause to other people’s vehicles with the victim, he was shutdown abruptly. He certainly accepts that there was other ways that the situation could have been handled and he’s very remorseful.”

Communal squeegees similar to those that sparked the violent assault. Picture: Christian Gilles.

As a sign of his regret, Green offered to pay $1000 compensation to his victim, who suffered injuries and had to receive medical treatment.

“It seems that you were in a state of emotional distress at the time of the commission of this offence,” Acting Magistrate Sarah Thompson said during sentencing.

“That goes some way to explaining why someone without a criminal history for a significant period of time would react to someone else cleaning wheels at a service station with a squeegee.”
Green was fined $500 dollars and ordered to pay the compensation. No conviction was recorded.