Wanderers player beat his uncle unconscious with a baseball bat

The midfielder ‘stormed into the office’ saying ‘I’m going to smash your f***ing head in,” while his uncle pleaded with him.

Wanderers midfielder Joel Cubillo has pleaded guilty to assaulting his uncle and threatening him with a baseball bat.

AN NTFL player who bashed his 49-year-old uncle unconscious with a baseball bat has pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

Wanderers midfielder Joel Cubillo, 29, entered his plea in the Darwin Local Court on Thursday a free man but left in the custody of prison officers after admitting to the April attack.

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A statement of agreed facts tendered to the court revealed the beating was the culmination of a family dispute over a remote outstation on the Timor Sea coast managed by Cubillo’s uncle.

On April 18, Cubillo and his father Eddie, who is the victim’s brother, demanded he hand over the keys to the outstation but were told it was booked out by other family members.

The next morning Cubillo called his uncle and said “I’m going to come there with my dad and bash you” before showing up at his workplace armed with the baseball bat.

He “stormed into the office” and said “I’m going to smash your f***ing head in,” while his uncle pleaded with him to calm down.

It was then Cubillo unleashed “a flurry of punches” causing the older man to fall to the ground where he kicked him and beat him with the bat while he screamed for help, losing consciousness several times.

He was eventually rescued by two day patrol officers who called police after he staggered to the doorway “in immense pain and covered in blood”.

Defence counsel Richard Burton told the court Cubillo was one of nine children who “had a very traumatic upbringing” involving alcohol, drugs and incidents of “extreme violence”.

Mr Burton said his client had no prior convictions and despite his turbulent childhood was now “doing the best he can” as sole bread winner for his three children.

“There’s no doubt whatsoever that this is a serious matter and my client fully accepts that fact,” he said.

“It’s a fact, unfortunately, your honour, that when young people are exposed to domestic violence it has a deleterious effect on them and that is the case here.”

Mr Burton initially claimed the attack had not caused harm to the victim but was shot down by judge Elizabeth Morris.

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“There’s no way this is not (physical harm), you’ve seen the photos,” she said.

Ms Morris ordered Cubillo be remanded in custody while various pre-sentence reports were completed and issued a restraining order banning all contact with his uncle for 12 months.

“This is an extremely serious offence and it’s appropriate that he is in custody,” she said.

Wanderers vice-president Matthew Knight said the club suppported the No More anti-family violence campaign, and did not condone violence.

“We are however a family club and we will, wherever possible provide support to all members of our club through this incident,” he said.

“We must stress that this incident did not occur at the club and is not in any way associated with our business as a club.”

Cubillo will return to court on July 12.