Wayne Malcolm Richardson in Rockhampton Magistrates Court for assault

A father of three will remain behind bars after he attacked a man in a Central Queensland town with a fence paling while drunk “in a random act of violence”.

Rockhampton Courthouse.

A father of three will remain behind bars after he attacked a man in the Central Queensland town of Woorabinda with a fence paling while drunk “in a random act of violence”.

Rockhampton Magistrates Court heard Wayne Malcolm Richardson, 32, approached someone he knew in the Indigenous town 170km southwest of Rockhampton on June 15, 2023 while “grossly intoxicated” and said, “Do you want to have a go you fat c**t?”

Magistrate Grace Kahlert said Richardson was armed with a fence paling.

Ms Kahlert said the man told Richardson to leave him alone and that Richardson “whacked him” three times to his left arm with the fence paling.

She said the man suffered superficial scratches and swelling.

“It would have been a very frightening experience for that person,” she said.

The court heard Richardson was on a 21-month suspended sentence at the time for domestic violence offending.

Defence lawyer Pierre Lammersdorf said the assault seemed to be a “random act of violence”.

“What is fortunate is the lack of long lasting injuries,” he said.

“Thankfully the injuries were not overly significant.”

Mr Lammersdorf said “intoxication is a factor that looms large”.

“He would be well advised to ideally abstain from alcohol altogether as he finds himself in trouble when he has been drinking alcohol,” he said.

Ms Kahlert told Richardson he needed to make some changes to his life.

“You’re going to spend the rest of your life in and out of jail if you keep drinking to excess,” she said.

“You can focus on improving your life if you focus on rehabilitating and not on drinking.”

Richardson pleaded guilty on September 2 to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and two counts of failing to appear in accordance with undertaking.

Ms Kahlert sentenced Richardson to 16 months prison, declared 17 days of presentence custody as time served and ordered he be released on parole on January 16, 2025.

Originally published as Wayne Malcolm Richardson in Rockhampton Magistrates Court for assault