Aaron Phillip Bell pleads guilty to assault armed with a shifter in Mackay

A father of two struck a man in the face and body with a metal tool after tensions boiled in a garage. Here’s why.

Victim of the attack Darryl Roy Bell is currently facing charges for alleged violent offences.

An Mackay alleged “violent” offender has been bashed with a shifter after he and an acquaintance clashed while he was trying to retrieve property stored at his mate’s garage.

His attacker father of two Aaron Phillip Bell claimed his victim had sent a series of threatening text messages including calling him a “shit c*nt, fat f*cking c*nt, lowlife c*nt and dog mouth c*nt”.

Darryl Roy Bell, who is not related but had known his attacker for some time, had been storing some items in Aaron Bell’s garage when the pair argued on May 2, 2025.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard the latter Aaron Bell “shaped up” to Darryl Bell because he took issue with how the latter had parked his car and was putting things in the garage.

The following day at 6pm Darryl Bell returned to retrieve a vacuum cleaner as he had sold it when the pair argued again because Aaron Bell was not happy with how long Darryl was taking and he wanted to go to bed.

The court heard Daryl was in his car reversing to leave,when Aaron Bell walked up and struck his face and body with a metal shifter through an open window causing a gash to his cheek and jaw.

Aaron Bell bashed long term acquaintance Darryl Roy Bell with a shifter.

Aaron Bell, a 46-year-old qualified chef, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm while armed.

During sentencing the court heard Darryl Bell was “well known to the courts (and) to prosecution” and had “violent” matters that were proceeding in the district court.

Defence solicitor Geoff Govey said Darryl has also sent his client a number of of text messages and “you can see the anger in those text messages”.

“That’s not to justify what my client did,” Mr Govey said, adding Aaron Bell accepted it was not proportionate.

“He had a well founded fear of Mr Bell.”

The court heard Aaron Bell had been using drugs at the time also resulting in the offence — Mr Govey said drugs had become an issue for his client over the past six months and he had sought help from Lives Lived Well.

There were no similar entries on his criminal history which Magistrate Patricia Kirkman-Scroope accepted was limited and dated.

She also accepted Darryl Bell had sent the text messages and that Aaron Bell’s offending was out of character.

She placed him on 18 months probation. A conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Aaron Phillip Bell pleads guilty to assault armed with a shifter in Mackay