Mornington brickie Ashley Hollis jailed after he threatened to kill a man in fight over Facebook posts
It’s not unusual to argue on Facebook with someone, but most people just leave an angry emoji and walk away. This Mornington man took his beef from the virtual to the physical world, with real-life results that mean he’ll be offline for a fair while.
South East
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A Facebook fighter who turned a social media stoush into a physical brawl because he didn’t like what was said online has been jailed.
Ashley Hollis attacked and threatened to kill a man after organising a fight over an argument about a woman.
The Mornington 29-year-old has a history of using his fists to settle scores, having been convicted of numerous assaults in the past.
He is serving a 10-month jail sentence imposed in April for a series of crimes, including recklessly causing injury.
As well as not being able to control his temper, the bricklayer father of two also has a problem controlling his car.
He was high on drugs and booze when he crashed into a nature strip tree after having a verbal altercation with a man at the Mornington shops.
Hollis pleaded guilty to charges including affray, weapons and drug possessions, making threats to kill and drink and drug driving at the online Frankston Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
In February this year Hollis and a mate went to the house of a man he had argued with on Facebook to have an organised fight.
The man wasn’t home, but his daughter and friend were.
Hollis made repeated threats to the daughter that he would kill her father, who returned to the house and a full-on brawl between Hollis, his mate, the victim and the friend ensued.
Hollis got the victim in a headlock and the man fell to the ground, and then Hollis walked away.
He was later arrested in his caravan home, where cannabis and knuckle dusters were found.
In February last year his car hit a tree on a Mornington nature strip while he was high on drugs and three times over the legal alcohol limit.
The collision wrote off his $25,000 vehicle and he required plastic surgery to his face, as well as treatment for a bruised chest, cut leg and lacerated lips.
His defence lawyer said he was extremely remorseful and embarrassed about his offending, which was all done while under the influence of alcohol.
He said the other man had been a provocateur before the Facebook fight, throwing rocks through Hollis mum’s window, but that didn’t excuse his behaviour.
Hollis told the magistrate he was sorry and he “had made a lot of mistakes, had stupid thoughts”.
Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge said it was “childish, puerile and immature” to take an online argument to the stage where a fight was organised.
“You are a recidivist, violent offender the community needs to be protected from,” Mr Lethbridge said.
“You lash out, you make horrible threats, you need to sort out your impulse control.
“Unless you control your drinking, your urges for violence, you will be soon receiving sentences (of imprisonment) in the years.”
Hollis was jailed for six months, fined a total of $1900 and banned from driving for 20 months.
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