Jai Riley Jackson charged, allegedly broke man’s jaw in Burleigh assault

An AFL young gun has been charged after a former NRL star’s nephew was allegedly assaulted and left in hospital with a broken jaw. Read the latest

AFL young gun Jai Riley Jackson charged over alleged assault at Burleigh Heads.

An AFL star has faced court over an alleged assault outside a Gold Coast pub that left the nephew of a former NRL star in hospital with a badly broken jaw.

Jai Riley Jackson was charged with grievous bodily harm after the 25-year-old nephew of former St George Dragons fullback Glenn Burgess was allegedly punched as he got into an Uber outside Burleigh Heads Hotel on October 18.

Jai Riley Jackson leaves Southport Courthouse after being granted bail on one count of grievous bodily harm. Picture: Charlton Hart.

Jackson, 23, who is originally from Western Australia, was a budding AFL midfielder who played for a number of clubs at the state level and represented WA in the under 18s competition. In 2019 he took part in the AFL Draft Combine in Melbourne but fell short of making a Premiership debut.

He has reportedly been working in a FIFO role in WA, and handed himself into Queensland police after returning from work duties in December. It followed a public appeal by detectives which included CCTV.

Jackson played elite level AFL in Western Australia. Picture: AFL/Charlton Hart.

Following the alleged assault last year the victim was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital where he underwent surgery to have his jaw wired shut.

Jackson has yet to enter a plea to the charges and was granted bail when he faced Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

He is due to return to court for a committal hearing on April 1.

Originally published as Jai Riley Jackson charged, allegedly broke man’s jaw in Burleigh assault