Mackay dad sentenced over common assault, hitting stepdaughter with pipe

A Queensland father who lost his temper after ongoing bad behaviour was warned the bizarre reason he snapped doesn’t justify assaulting a child.

File photo. Picture: istock

A former mine site sparkie and stay-at-home father struck his stepdaughter with a piece of pipe.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard the man in his 40s, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was called to his stepdaughter’s school for a parent teacher conference concerning her behaviour before the assault.

Defence barrister Scott McLennan said “she made up a story about one of the half-siblings which resulted in them all going to the office until she admitted it wasn’t true”.

Mr McLennan said his client was “at the end of his tether” and his partner was unable to cope with her daughter’s behaviour.

When they returned home the man went to eat some chicken from the fridge, which his stepdaughter had already taken.

The court heard he asked her if she ate the chicken, whereupon she wrapped it in her jumper and denied eating it.

The man, who was renovating the bathroom, grabbed a nearby plastic pipe and struck her leg with it, twice.

A few weeks later there was a second assault and the 41-year-old was arrested and released on bail by 1pm the next day.

He pleaded to one charge of assault occasioning bodily harm and common assault on March 17, 2025.

The man had a pipe near him at the time, and used it to strike the child. Picture: iStock

Police prosecutor Matt Saunders said the defendant had no similar criminal history, but failed in his duty of care towards the child.

“I concede the child’s aggressive behaviour towards the defendant and the other undertones alert to difficulty in the relationship,” Mr Saunders said.

“It’s not a provocation to assault.”

Mr Saunders said the attack was unacceptable and there was a “huge imbalance of power”.

“He’s a large man, he’s the stepfather of the child … she’s small, she’s vulnerable,” Mr Saunders said.

Mr McLennan said the victim was recently diagnosed with ADHD and was struggling with poor behaviour.

“She was compulsively lying, stealing, bullying her half-siblings and hitting them,” Mr McLennan said.

The court heard there was no allegation of bodily harm and the daughter was uninjured by the attacks, although the strikes left a mark.

Mr Dwyer said “it was more frustration than anything that’s come over”.

“This was not a premeditated matter it just happened to be the piece of pipe was lying next to you.

He called the defendant’s charge of common assault weeks after the first assault “very minor”.

The court heard the man was halfway through a parenting program and was undergoing psychological counselling.

He was put on a good behaviour bond for 12 months and ordered to pay $1500 with no convictions recorded.

Originally published as Mackay dad sentenced over common assault, hitting stepdaughter with pipe