Ronald George Weilden pleads guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm

A Fraser Coast man who tasered a man during a ‘vigilante’ attack after an earlier disagreement has wiped away tears during his sentencing.

Ronald George Weilden arrived at the home with four other men with the intention of assaulting the other man, the court heard.

A Fraser Coast man armed himself with a baseball bat and a taser before launching an attack on a person he had a “grievance” with, a court has heard.

Ronald George Weilden, 20, and four other men went armed to another man’s home after a “disagreement” between Weilden and his victim earlier on the day of the attack.

During a sentencing hearing in Hervey Bay District on Friday, the court heard Weilden had his head covered and was carrying a baseball bat before going into the man’s front yard.

He swung the bat at his victim before pushing him into a wall.

The court heard the victim pleaded with Weilden to stop, but he instead asked the other four men, who were all “armed with bats and similar items”, to help him.

The victim managed to escape the assault at one point, but Weilden chased him and punched him in the head, causing him to fall to the ground.

Hervey Bay court. Photo: Tracey Joynson

The other men then joined in and at some point Weilden used a taser on the victim’s torso.

Weilden left the scene in a car soon after, the court heard.

Police and paramedics arrived and the victim was taken to hospital where he remained overnight.

His injuries included cuts, swelling, bruising and grazing.

The court heard Weilden made admissions to police after he was arrested.

In court, Weilden pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company, unlawful possession of a weapon, wilful damage, breach of bail condition, stealing, trespass, contravene a direction or requirement and possession of a knife in a public place.

Weilden, who was seen wiping tears from his eyes during the sentencing, was supported in court by his father.

Defence barrister Phillip Hardastle said Weilden had lost his grandmother, who he was close to, prior to the incident.

Ronald George Weilden, 20, pleaded guilty to assaults occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company, unlawful possession of a weapon, wilful damage, breach of bail condition, stealing, trespass, contravene a direction or requirement and possession of a knife in a public place when he faced Hervey Bay District Court on Friday.

He said Weilden was not suffering any type of mental illness at the time of the offence, and was regretful of what happened.

Judge Gary Long said Weilden was 19 when most of the offending happened.

“You come before the court effectively without any prior criminal history,” he said.

Judge Long said vigilantism as a response to a grievance, particularly when there was the use of weapons, needed to be dealt with in a way that deterred Weilden and others.

The court heard Weilden had been released on bail after the offence, but had since committed other offences.

These included being found in possession of two weapons at a KFC, including a cane knife and a credit-card knife.

He had also stolen a bicycle from outside the Kondari Hotel and later kicked a man’s car, causing damage.

Weilden was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison, with presentence custody declared as time served.

He will be eligible for parole on June 6, 2025.

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Originally published as Ronald George Weilden pleads guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm