Kalem Malcolm Dean Moffat in court for serious assault

A Queensland man has bashed a sleeping man so severely he spent weeks in hospital, months in rehab, and was left with no sense of taste or smell.

A Mackay region man brutally attacked his sister’s ex boyfriend while he slept.

A Mackay region man brutally attacked his sister’s ex boyfriend as he slept, in a horror assault that left blood everywhere.

Kalem Malcolm Dean Moffat, 30, went to a Marian house in the evening of October 30, 2023 after his family removed his sister’s belongings from her former boyfriend’s home.

The Mackay District Court was told recently Moffat’s sister found internet searches on her ex’s phone for young boys kissing and reported it to police.

Moffat then told his mother he was going to see the victim and entered the house through the backyard, breaking in through the laundry door, before arming himself with a saucepan.

He stood over the victim, who was sleeping on the couch, and began striking him repeatedly with such force that blood splattered across the room and the saucepan was dented.

Kalem Malcolm Dean Moffat ripped the flyscreen off the laundry door, using it to enter the victim’s home while he slept.

The court heard neighbours reported hearing screaming and the sound of someone being hit with an object.

Moffat’s mother intervened and he left the scene, later being arrested by police and spending 506 days on remand from October 30, 2023 to March 18, 2025.

The court heard Moffat told police he “bashed” his sister’s ex boyfriend because he was a “kiddie fiddler”.

Moffat’s tune had changed by March 19, 2025 when he pleaded guilty to burglary by breaking in at night with property damage, and entering a home at night with intent and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

“I regret doing what I did,” Moffat said, as family supported him and watched from the gallery.

Defence barrister Scott McLennan said his client was told the victim was a convicted sex offender.

Neighbours reported hearing a ‘tinny sound’ and the sound of something being hit around 15-20 times.

Mr McLennan said the victim was serving an 18 month period of suspended imprisonment for grooming and electronic communication to procure a child, but no new allegations of wrongdoing were heard in court.

Mr McLennan said Moffat had asked him to apologise on his behalf to the victim and expressed remorse following the offending.

Judge John Coker said Moffat’s attack was “prolonged, violent, vicious and cowardly” and if one of the blows had struck the victim differently, he would have been killed.

Judge Coker said Moffat’s sister acted correctly when she had concerns regarding her ex by approaching police, as opposed to Moffat’s attack.

“If someone entered the home and suddenly started to bash your mother with a baseball bat because of some perceived indiscretion on her behalf, is that acceptable behaviour?” he asked, and Moffat shook his head.

Moffat spent 506 days on remand and is eligible for parole on April 30, 2025.

The court heard the victim was hospitalised for weeks and missed months of work and now experienced loss of taste, smell and numerous psychological after effects.

Judge Coker said three weeks after the offending Moffat spoke to his mother and “there were statements to the effect of ‘I did a good job then’ and laughed and ‘I don’t regret anything’.”

He said Moffat claimed this was jailhouse talk and the court heard Moffat had below average intelligence, as well as no relevant criminal history.

Moffat was sentence to six years jail with a parole eligibility date set for April 30, 2025; 506 days of presentence custody were declared as time served and convictions were recorded.

“The behaviours here were dreadful, the consequences were catastrophic and are ongoing,” Judge Coker said.

“I suspect you have already been punished significantly … you have been removed from your family.”

Originally published as Kalem Malcolm Dean Moffat in court for serious assault