Brett Andrews sentenced for ‘completely unprovoked’ Mildura nightclub bashing

A young man has been sentenced for an unprovoked attack outside a nightclub that left his victim requiring surgery for a jaw broken in two places.

A man who bashed a stranger in an unprovoked attack in Mildura, leaving him in pain almost two years later, has been sent to youth detention.

Brett Andrews, 20, was sentenced to 20 months in a youth detention facility in the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday, after he was found guilty in a judge-alone trial of recklessly causing injury.

In the early hours of October 5, 2019, Mr Williams launched his assault on his victim after they had both exited a Mildura nightclub with respective groups of friends.

His lawyer told the court he believed “however wrongly” the victim had said something aggressive to a member of Andrews’ group.

He punched him from behind, punched him again and knocked him to the ground, kicked him “with some vigour” while the man was on the ground and punched him again as he tried to stand up.

The victim’s jaw was broken in two places requiring surgery, and he still has shooting pain in his jaw when he eats.

“All of your punches were aimed, with considerable force, at (the victim’s) head,” Chief Judge Peter Kidd said.

“The risk of severe harm was palpable.

“A single punch can, and often does, result in grave consequences. You went beyond this.

“It is also not a mitigating factor that you were intoxicated … by alcohol.”

He said the assault was “completely unprovoked” and left the victim with physical and psychological injuries.

After he was charged, Andrews started using ice and heroin but has been clean for six months, Chief Judge Kidd said.

He was also sentenced in the Magistrates Court for offences including car theft and arson committed after the assault.