Benjamin Goodfellow and Douglas McNaboe jailed for Highland Park bashing, mum avoids prison
Two Gold Coast brothers have been jailed, with their mum narrowly avoiding joining them, after the trio pleaded to a terrifying home invasion near Nerang driven by an alleged slight at a wedding.
Two Gold Coast brothers have been jailed, with their mum narrowly avoiding joining them, after the trio pleaded guilty to a terrifying home invasion near Nerang following an alleged slight at a wedding.
Elanora pair Suzanne McNaboe, 57, and her tattoo artist son Benjamin Goodfellow, 37, appeared in Southport District Court on November 28 for a sentencing hearing following their previous guilty pleas to a two-count indictment charging them with burglary and grievous bodily harm.
Another son of McNaboe’s, Goodfellow’s half-brother Douglas Peter McNaboe, 27, was previously jailed for his role in the savage bashing, which occurred on August 26, 2023, at an address at Cozens Way, Highland Park.
The court heard the complainant was the new husband of McNaboe’s sister, and there had been a backyard wedding involving up to 20 family members earlier that day – neither Goodfellow or Douglas McNaboe were there – during which alcohol was consumed.
During the course of the evening, there was a physical altercation involving various family members, during which McNaboe claimed she was punched by her sister’s new husband.
Later on that day, she told Goodfellow what had happened, and he responded, “They’re all f---ed now”, and a plan was hatched for Douglas McNaboe to drive his mum and Goodfellow back to the complainant’s residence, the scene of the wedding, to confront him.
Crown prosecutor Keith Nicholson told the court about 10pm, the complainant heard banging on the front door and when he went to investigate, one of either Douglas McNaboe or Goodfellow kicked in the front door, while McNaboe moved to the backyard in an apparent attempt to gather some personal belongings she left behind.
Goodfellow punched the complainant twice in the face, causing him to collapse and temporarily lose consciousness, Mr Nicholson told the court, and then Douglas McNaboe approached and kicked the prone man in the head.
The complainant’s injuries included a fractured cheekbone and jaw, as well as abrasions and swelling to the face.
The facial injuries required surgery, the court heard.
Defence counsel Nick McGhee, representing Goodfellow, told the court his client’s previous entries on his criminal history for violence were dated, and Goodfellow had been “working solidly and living a law-abiding life for many years”.
“I expect once he goes back into employment [as a tattoo artist], his good behaviour will continue,” Mr McGhee added.
Defence counsel Mitch Rawlings told the court his client, McNaboe, had been the victim of a significant number of domestically violent relationships over the course of decades and now suffered from PTSD.
“She has, in her words, been a punching bag in many of her relationships, much of that observed by those around her [such as her two co-defendant sons],” Mr Rawlings added.
He noted McNaboe had the full-time care of another son, a 19-year-old who the barrister submitted was profoundly disabled due to a serious diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder.
All three co-defendants received a similar sentence structure involving concurrent prison terms, one involving parole, the other a partially or wholly suspended sentence.
Goodfellow received four years suspended after serving 16 months, for an operational period of five years, and three years with parole release after serving 16 months, meaning he will be released back into the community on March 28, 2027.
McNaboe received three years with immediate release on court-ordered parole, alongside two-and-a-half years wholly suspended for an operational period of three-and-a-half years.
Douglas McNaboe, who pleaded guilty to the same charges as his mum and half-brother, was sentenced last month to four years suspended after serving 10 months, for an operational period of four years, and three years with parole release after 10 months.
His lesser sentence than Goodfellow was due to his younger age and lack of criminal history.
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Originally published as Benjamin Goodfellow and Douglas McNaboe jailed for Highland Park bashing, mum avoids prison
