Danny Hunt jailed after drunken Murray River attack leaves woman battered and hiding in the bush

A drunken thug’s booze-fuelled attack left a woman hiding in the bush after a Murray River camping trip went horribly and violently wrong.

Danny Hunt brutally assaulted a woman in a drunken rage on a camping trip by the Murray River. Picture: Generic

A drunken thug bashed a woman during a drunken camping trip on the Murray River, forcing her to run for her life and hide in the bush, a court has heard.

Danny Hunt, 33, fronted Mildura Magistrates’ Court to plead guilty to assault charges after a brutal attack on a woman in June 2022.

Hunt was camping on the Murray River when he became increasingly abusive and then violent toward a woman after consuming alcohol.

The victim yelled at Hunt to stop verbally abusing her and went to grab her phone from a chair at the campsite, but Hunt threw the phone into the bushes before she could reach it.

She then grabbed the keys and ran to a car.

As she got into the car Hunt grabbed her by the hair and repeatedly smashed her head on the inside of the vehicle.

The victim managed to escape and run into the bush until she couldn’t run any further and hid from Hunt.

The court heard the terrified woman escaped into the bushes to avoid Hunt’s wrath. Picture: Generic

When the victim returned to the campsite, Hunt reportedly exclaimed, “Oh my god your eye, what have I done?”

The victim suffered bruising and swelling, taking photos of her injuries and sending them to a friend.

During sentencing, Hunt’s partner told the court that the family would face financial hardship if he went to jail.

“We would probably lose our current rental, Danny pays for that and we would probably go into financial hardship (if he were to be imprisoned),” she said.

The court was told Hunt had started men’s behaviour counselling in February this year.

“I am not the same person as I was then, drugs and alcohol were a big problem,” Hunt told Magistrate Rose Falla.

Magistrate Rose Falla described the assault as “incredibly serious” and Hunt’s actions as “reprehensible.”

Ms Falla described the assault as “incredibly serious” and Hunt’s actions as “reprehensible” as she handed down the sentence.

Hunt was assessed for a community corrections order but was deemed ineligible due to living in South Australia.

He was sentenced to two months behind bars followed by a 15 month good behaviour bond.

Hunt walked free just over an hour after being jailed after successfully applying for appeal bail.