Colac man Deon Cole, 23, sentenced to three years jail over violent Grovedale assault

A man who repeatedly struck a Geelong man with a piece of decorative coral and a glass after meeting up for sex has been sentenced to three years behind bars.

Colac man Deon Cole will spend at least 18 months in jail after he was sentenced to three years imprisonment over a vicious assault on a Newcomb man in February, 2022. Photo: Facebook.

A Colac man who repeatedly struck a Geelong man with a piece of decorative coral and a glass after meeting up for sex has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Deon Cole, 23, was sentenced in the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday after earlier pleading guilty to recklessly causing serious injury over a brutal attack at a Grovedale home on February 22 last year.

The incident left the victim with multiple facial fractures, bleeding on the brain and three haematomas on the scalp.

Cole travelled in an Uber for the planned sexual encounter with a 52-year-old man after they met on the free classifieds app Locanto, with the court hearing the pair exchanged a number of sexually charged messages and photos before meeting up.

They remained at the victim’s address together for more than five hours, with Cole posing with a “2m long python” during this time.

Judge Trevor Wraight, in handing down his sentence, said Cole “by his own admission” struck the victim with a glass and then with another object, referred to as a rock, after claiming he “freaked out” after the man allegedly touched him inappropriately.

The victim required intensive surgery following the attack, including the insertion of 12 titanium plates in his face.

Mr Wraight said the offending was a “relatively serious example” of recklessly causing serious injury, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment.

“While it appears that the injuries were not immediately life threatening, it is clear from the evidence and the victim impact statement, that the injuries are very serious, the effects of which the victim continues to suffer from, both physically and psychologically,” he said.

Mr Wraight said he took the victim impact statement into account, with the court hearing the man regarded himself as “lucky to be alive”.

He also described the “psychological toll” the assault has taken on him and said he relived the incident “every moment of the day”.

Mr Wraight convicted and sentenced Cole to three years in jail, ordering he serve 18 months before becoming eligible for parole.

Originally published as Colac man Deon Cole, 23, sentenced to three years jail over violent Grovedale assault