Springfield bricklayer Jake Anthony Hargreaves, 27, assaults man over wife wolf whistle claim

A brickie boss claims he repeatedly punched a man in self defence during a fight sparked when the victim’s wife complained she had been wolf whistled at a work site.

Jake Anthony Hargreaves (right), 27, outside Ipswich Court on November 11, 2023. Picture: Nicola McNamara

A brickie subcontractor bashed a disgruntled local across from his Ipswich worksite after the man’s wife made complained she had been wolf whistled by his crew.

Springfield Lakes’ Jake Anthony Hargreaves, 27, pleaded not guilty to a single count of assault occasioning bodily harm.

During a half-day trial on Wednesday, November 8, Springfield’s Kenan Abou-Raied told the Ipswich Magistrates’ Court that Hargreaves punched him seven or eight time on June 8 last year.

But Hargreaves testified that he punched Mr Abou-Raied only twice and claimed he acted in self defence.

Hargreaves had been subcontracted as a bricklayer by Clarendon Homes to work on a two-storey build near Abou-Raied’s home.

Mr Abou-Raied said his wife made two complaints to Clarendon Homes about Hargreaves’ crew the day before the assault, saying one of the workers wolf whistled at her.

The couple also complained about the crew being noisy and playing loud music.

He said a car “took off” from the site and did a burnout.

Mr Hargreaves told the court Clarendon Homes had informed him about the complaint, which he said they took very seriously.

He raised the complaint with his crew, who told it did not happen.

Hargreaves and Mr Abou-Raied each gave differing accounts of their June 8 confrontation to the court.

Mr Abou-Raied said he heard yelling from the worksite that afternoon when he was leaving for a doctor’s appointment.

“I looked over and I heard him (Hargreaves) yell out and say ‘what are you looking at?,” he recounted.

“I said ‘you,’ and then he repeated it again … I said ‘you, you d**khead.”

Mr Abou-Raied admitted he had been angry about the wolf whistling claims at the time.

“Not angry at them (the workers) specifically but angry at the fact that it happened,” he said.

He said Hargreaves then approached him from across the road, told him to get out of his car and said he had not wolf whistled at his wife.

Hargreaves then punched him repeatedly in the face at least seven or eight times, possibly up to 15 times, he claimed.

“It’s hard to count when you’re being hit in the face repeatedly,” Mr Abou-Raied told the court.

He said he suffered bruising to his cheek, a permanent scar on the side of his nose, swelling and multiple cuts on the inside of his mouth which made it difficult to eat.

Hargreaves told the court he had yelled out to Mr Abou-Raied only after he heard him start yelling first.

He believed Mr Abou-Raied incorrectly thought Hargreaves had been speaking to him when he yelled out to his crew for more materials.

Jake Anthony Hargreaves, 27, outside Ipswich Court on November 11, 2023. Picture: Nicola McNamara

Hargreaves said Mr Abou-Raied had an aggressive body language and tone, so he “decided to solve the problem”.

Hargreaves said he crossed the road, wanting to “smooth things over” but claimed Mr Abou-Raied told him “I should smash you” as he approached.

“I told him that I’d spoken to all the boys and I’ve been informed that nobody wolf whistled at your partner,” Hargreaves said.

“He said whatever and f**k you. He was very aggressive.”

Hargreaves said he had felt fearful of being attacked after seeing Mr Abou-Raied step forward with his fists closed by his sides.

He said he punched him, then saw Mr Abou-Raied’s arm swing as if to strike him back so he punched him again.

The court also heard testimony from a local doctor who observed bruising and two cuts on Mr Abou-Raied’s face that he believed were most likely caused by at least two punches.

One of Hargreaves’ crew members told the court he saw Hargreaves slap Mr Abou-Raied but that it had been in self defence.

Magistrate Peter Cooke said he placed no weight on that evidence, noting even Hargreaves himself said he did not slap Mr Abou-Raied.

Mr Cooke said he accepted Mr Abou-Raied had been upset and was a party to the confrontation.

But he said Hargreaves’ assault was unjustified because he had been the one to approach Mr Abou-Raied despite his apparent threat to “smash him”.

Mr Abou-Raied had not raised his arms above his waist, he said.

Mr Hargreaves was found guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm and fined $1000.

Mr Cooke accepted the offending was out of character, as Hargreaves had no criminal history.

He told Hargreaves it would have been “far smarter” if he’d just gotten on with his job.

Hargreaves was ordered to pay $500 in compensation on top of the fine. No conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Springfield bricklayer Jake Anthony Hargreaves, 27, assaults man over wife wolf whistle claim