Mystery motivation for wild baby shower brawl
NOBODY’S quite sure what caused a brawl to break out at a baby shower in a Sydney restaurant. But the man who was first punched is the only one charged.
A MAN charged over a brawl at a baby shower in Sydney’s Bondi Junction has claimed that he acted in self defence.
Vision of the fight — which occurred on Saturday, February 13, 2016 — shows Junchi Ma, 26, in the middle of the scuffle, but he says his actions were “reasonable” as he feared he was going to be hit in the head.
The drama at the Zilver Chinese eatery began when a man in cut-off T-shirt approached a circular table and stands over Junchi Ma, who is wearing a black and yellow top.
Ma is seen kissing the woman seated next to him before being punched unexpectedly by the man.
Other men rush to either try to calm tempers or join in, one soon seen picking up a chair in self-defence.
Cups and bowls of soup are thrown before the chaos descends into chair-throwing, which is understood to have injured a baby.
A large glass window smashed in the scuffle, which involved about 10 people at its peak and lasted for about four minutes.
Most of the brawlers fled before police arrived.
Junchi Ma — the only person charged — has pleaded guilty to affray, but is disputing the facts of the case, according to 9 News.
According to Seven News, Ma’s barrister Eidan Havas told the Downing Centre Local Court this week that the Pymble resident had no criminal record and was studying for his third university degree.
He also questioned why Ma was charged, and not anyone else in the fight.
But police did not accept Ma’s claims of self-defence, claiming the fight vision shows Ma run into the fray several times to continue fighting.
A sports doctor also gave evidence in court on Monday, argued that Ma may have been suffering concussion at the time, which would have affected his judgment.
The case continues.
With AAP
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