Jayden Reece Keogh fined for assault occasioning bodily harm after nightclub push

A young man who came to the defence of female friends has learnt the hard way that a scuffle can get out hand quickly when alcohol and the confines of a nightclub are involved.

A young man with an impeccable criminal history has avoided having a conviction recorded after he pleaded guilty to an assault that fractured a woman’s arm.

Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard Jayden Reece Keogh, 23, was partying with friends in a CBD nightclub when a woman approached and started an argument with one of his group.

The woman pushed Keogh’s friend and he intervened to stop the fight.

The court heard the woman then grabbed Keogh’s arm and he pushed her way.

Unfortunately the woman fell with enough force to fracture a bone in her arm that required surgery to fix.

Defence lawyer Brad Skuse told the court his client had no criminal or traffic record and wanted a career in the disability support sector.

“It is accepted he had been drinking,” he said.

“My client said it was a sobering incident which had seen him reduce his consumption of alcohol quite significantly.

“He never intended to cause harm but he accepts that in a small, confined space of a nightclub, where people have consumed alcohol, it is conceivable that someone could suffer the injuries that the complaint did.

“His reaction, by his own admission, was excessive.”

Keogh was ordered to pay $900 after pleading guilty to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Magistrate Louise Shepherd exercised her discretion to withhold recording the conviction after noting Keogh’s youth, his clean criminal record and employment prospects.

“The assault occurred in the context of (the victim’s) provocation and force upon you,” she said.

“This was an aberration.”