Australian Defence Force member Lachlan Hobson found guilty of Mayberry club punch-up

A young Darwin soldier has claimed his defence training spurred him to shatter a man’s jaw in a popular Top End nightclub.

Australian Defence Force member Lachlan Hobson has been found guilty of a drunken nightclub assault on another man at the Mayberry on January 15, 2023. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

A Darwin soldier claimed his training spurred him to take a “preemptive strike” before he shattered another man’s jaw in a brutal assault in a popular Top End nightclub.

Australian Defence Force member Lachlan Hobson, 21, has been found guilty of a drunken nightclub assault on another man at Mayberry on January 15, 2023.

Following four days of evidence in the Supreme Court, on Friday the jury unanimously found him guilty of unlawfully causing serious harm and aggravated assault.

Hobson was found not guilty of assaulting a security guard.

He was steel-faced as the verdict was handed down, even as his mother started to break down in tears as her son’s bail was revoked.

Throughout the trial Hobson admitted to punching the other man before kneeing him in the face, but claimed it was necessary to defend himself.

However the jury heard the soldier and his co-accused assaulted the intoxicated victim after he refused to shake his hand twice in the dark nightclub.

In his evidence Hobson claimed his victim “threatened to smash him” and made “homophobic slurs” before he approached him with his fists raised in the Mayberry pool room.

Hobson said the other man appeared to be “postering up for a fight” and therefore he launched a “pre-emptive strike”, breaking his jaw in two places and leaving him with complex facial fractures.

“The accused gave evidence that he had received training as a member of the Australian Defence Force which conditioned him to move towards the threat,” Justice Meredith Huntingford said.

Australian Defence Force member Lachlan Hobson has been found guilty of a drunken nightclub assault on another man at the Mayberry on January 15, 2023. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

However, Crown prosecutor Camille McKay said Hobson’s claim he was scared of his victim did not match the security footage from the club, while other witnesses said the victim was drunk, “stumbling around” and did not appear to be threatening.

Ms McKay said the footage showed the victim only raised his hands to protect his face as he was attacked.

The jury heard Hobson acted “in sync” with his friend and co-accused, asking him to ‘back him up’, hold his sunglasses and keep watch so he could fight the other man “unheaded”.

It was alleged after Hobson beat the other man, his co-accused “king hit” the victim once again.

After being booted from the club the pair reported the incident to the Military Police, however the matter was brought into the civilian criminal courts.

Throughout the trial, Hobson was supported by a dozen friends and family members all of whom appeared to be in shock as the guilty verdict was handed down.

Hobson’s bail was revoked until his sentencing hearing on November 19.

As he was taken into custody by security guards his mother called out across the courtroom: “I love you so much”.

Originally published as Australian Defence Force member Lachlan Hobson found guilty of Mayberry club punch-up