Jimi William Riddle jailed for grievous bodily harm

A Kingaroy jury has rejected a 27-year-old man’s claim of self defence after he knocked out a stranger with one punch, leaving his jaw shattered and his skull fractured in two places.

A jury did not believe a 27-year-old mine worker’s story of self defence after he knocked out a stranger with one “decent punch” and broke his jaw in two places.

Jimi William Riddle was found guilty following a trial in Kingaroy District Court on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, of grievous bodily harm.

He was convicted of punching Craig Holland, a 62-year-old Kingaroy man, in the head so hard his jaw was broken and his skull was fractured in two places.

The assault occurred after an altercation near the Kingaroy Red Rooster around 3am on March 26, 2023.

Mr Holland was taken to the Kingaroy Hospital that morning but had to be flown to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane later that day.

He told the court he was walking home after spending the evening drinking beer in several local pubs, and was walking with a young woman, Esther Baltus, who lived in the same direction as him.

Jimi William Riddle was found guilty following a trial in Kingaroy District Court on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, of grievous bodily harm.

When they reached the Red Rooster, they stood in the road talking to a small group of young women when Riddle walked past them.

Riddle asked the group whether they had seen his cousin, who he had been with earlier in the evening.

The court heard Ms Baltus made a remark to Riddle, which resulted in him becoming aggressive and taking off his shirt, followed by a verbal confrontation.

Mr Holland told Ms Baltus to walk away and just walk home, which is when he said he was punched by the defendant.

“It was getting a little bit heated,” he said.

“I tried to get Esther to walk away, and then the next thing I was on the ground.”

He did not know Riddle but was able to ID him via a photo lineup with police later on.

Ms Baltus had also been out drinking at several pubs in Kingaroy and said she was tipsy but wasn’t “overly gone”.

She admitted to making a “smart arse” comment to Riddle when he asked her who she was and to making other rude comments about his tattoos, but denied making any other derogatory statements.

“There was a tattoo of ‘Riddle’ or something (on his chest) and that was one of the things I said about, why do you want to know who I am when you have to have a tattoo of your last name, or something, on you to know who you are,” she said.

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The incident happened at the intersection of Knight Street and Kingaroy Street, in the road near the Red Rooster. Source: Google Maps

The court heard neither Ms Baltus nor Mr Holland touched Riddle or become physical with him, and that Riddle hit Mr Holland suddenly and without provocation.

Riddle had also been out drinking in Kingaroy with his cousin, who walked home ahead of him, and was walking along the same route as the group.

He said after he asked the group if they had seen his cousin, Ms Baltus yelled out “f*** me in the arse” which left him “gobsmacked and shocked”.

Riddle told the court Mr Holland and Ms Baltus both walked towards him, yelling at him and getting “right in (his) face”.

He said she yelled other rude comments at him, saying things like “you run the town” and called him a “fat f***” and a dog.

While Ms Baltus admitted to being “confrontational”, she said she cannot remember making any rude comments like “dog”, “fat f***” or “fat c***” to Riddle.

He said even though the young woman was a lot smaller than him and the victim was clearly much older than him, he felt threatened because Mr Holland was “tatted up” and Ms Baltus was “coming at him”.

“I told her to get out of my space, with me hands up,” he said.

“Like get out of my personal bubble.

“And then she started to push me because I should know who she is, she reckons.”

Riddle said he only punched Mr Holland in self-defence because he threw a punch first.

A neighbour who witnessed the incident said he overheard a commotion on the street and went out the front of his house to check it out.

Multiple witnesses agreed the intersection was well lit with street lighting.

The court heard a woman was yelling and swearing loudly and “pushing and shoving” Riddle.

The neighbour said he saw the victim “square-up” and throw a punch, and then saw Riddle throw one “decent punch”.

When asked by the prosecutor if he could be mistaken in believing he saw Mr Holland “put up his dukes”, the witness said “absolutely not”.

“I’ve done eight years of martial arts, I know when somebody is shaping up,” he said.

The witness admitted to knowing Riddle from work, but said they didn’t work closely together and he only recognised him once the incident was over.

The Crown told the court it was a straightforward case.

“We say (Riddle) struck (Mr Holland) all of a sudden; that he caused the injury and that the injury is consistent with the legal definition of grievous bodily harm,” he said.

“It was gratuitous, dangerous, and ultimately unlawful.”

The jury deliberated for about 40 minutes on Tuesday morning, and found Riddle guilty.

Judge Glen Cash sentenced him to two years jail, with a parole release date of February 25, 2026.

Originally published as Jimi William Riddle jailed for grievous bodily harm