Shot man Joshua John Kleeman suffered brutal bashing at Surfers Paradise, had ‘PTSD and anxiety’

A man shot multiple times by police suffered a brutal group bashing while working as a Gold Coast security guard – and was king-hit in a separate drama years later.

A man shot by police on Sunday suffered a brutal group bashing while working as a security guard in Surfers Paradise a decade ago – and was king-hit again some years later.

As Joshua John Kleeman, 29, continues to recover in hospital from multiple gunshot wounds, it can be revealed he was working on the door in September 2012 when four men jumped him and inflicted a “prolonged, vicious and gratuitous” bashing on the ground.

Joshua John Kleeman. Picture: Instagram

Four “drunken” mates rained more than 30 punches, kicks and stomps to Mr Kleeman’s face and body, even as he slumped to the ground in defeat.

As he lay curled up with fractures to his jaw and a chipped tooth, one of the men threatened to pull out a non-existent knife and stab him in the face if he refused to hand over his wallet. Another said he would kill him.

A cheeseburger was thrown at Mr Kleeman’s bloodied head before the group walked off.

The men were tracked down on social media by police.

In the Southport District Court a year later, Ty Brazel (then 22), Craig Jones (then 24), Joel Demas (then 21) and Scott Pearson (then 22) pleaded guilty to armed robbery in company with personal violence.

Picture: Facebook.

Barristers said the four men had been on a binge, drinking cheap beers and shots at a nightclub when they had a run-in with Mr Kleeman who broke up a fight at the club.

Judge Katherine McGinness convicted all four. Each was sentenced to three years in jail with parole after serving 12 months.

On Sunday, police shot Mr Kleeman multiple times at a Bellagio Crescent address in Coomera after a welfare check. Police allege he was armed with a knife and rushed at police when he was shot.

Gold Coast police allege Joshua John Kleeman was armed with knife when he was shot by officers at Coomera on Sunday

A fun-loving Joshua Kleeman, left, in 2011. Picture: Facebook.

Alleged posts to his Facebook two hours earlier warned he was “prepared for war” and “armed...so do not come unless you’re ready to go”.

As of Tuesday morning, Mr Kleeman remains in a critical but stable condition under police guard at Gold Coast University Hospital. No charges have been laid.

His estranged wife, Akiyo Kleeman told the Bulletin she shares a child with Mr Kleeman but the pair have been “separated for some time”.

Joshua Kleeman appeared to live a happy life on social media, mingling with friends and family. Picture: Facebook.

She said Mr Kleeman had spoken of the Surfers Paradise bashing in 2012 and a “king-hit” attack in 2017 - and claimed the attacks had left him with “PTSD and anxiety”.

Mr Kleeman, who has long been a scuba diving enthusiast, formerly worked as a divemaster at Queensland Scuba Diving Company at Main Beach.

He studied with the Queensland Diving Company under Mark “Sharkie” Salter and gained qualification as a divemaster.

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According to a close friend, Mr Kleeman lived in a unit in Main Beach overlooking the ocean for a number of years and by early 2021 he was a bottle shop worker and living in Carrara.

Multiple other posts on Facebook show Kleeman as a fun-loving party type who enjoyed the Surfers Paradise’s party strip.

Mr Kleeman’s ex-partner Georgina Elsie Ann Tomkins, with whom he shares an 8-year-old son, posted to Facebook in 2013 during her early pregnancy: “Happy Father’s Day baby. You’re going to be the most amazing father. Our baby boy is so blessed to have you as a life role model. Hard-working, kind, loving and my rock. I love you.”