Alfred Maurice John Coulstock beats up Uber driver after a request to hurry up

A former air force member told a man in his 60s, “You are only an Uber driver, you do what you are told,” moments before beating him up in Surfers Paradise.

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A FORMER air force member beat an Uber driver so severely his nose, jaw and ribs were fractured because the ride-share operator asked the man’s group to hurry up.

Alfred Maurice John Coulstock taunted the Uber driver, aged in his 60s, moments before the attack.

The 31-year-old told him: “You are only an Uber driver, you do what you are told”.

Coulstock pleaded guilty in Southport District Court on Monday to one count of serious assault of a person over 60.

Judge Rowan Jackson sentenced him to 16 months prison to be released on parole on June 1, 2021.

“You assaulted a 60-year-old man who was providing a service to you in the early hours of the morning,” he said.

Judge Jackson pointed out the victim was unable to eat solids for six weeks after the attack due to the damage done to his jaw.

The court was told Coulstock and a group of four others had ordered the Uber from Surfers Paradise in the early hours of August 1 last year.

When the driver came to pick them up, Coulstock and his group began to argue about who would sit where.

The Uber driver asked them to hurry up as he was illegally parked and threatened to cancel the ride if the group did not get into the car.

It was then Coulstock said the driver should do what he was told.

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The Uber driver then said he was cancelling the ride and asked Coulstock to get out of his car.

CCTV footage showed Coulstock getting out of the vehicle, pushing the Uber driver to the ground, kicking him and then punching him in the head while the driver was on the ground.

The Uber driver tried to protect himself by putting his arms up and trying to grab Coulstock to stop him from punching him.

One of Coulstock’s friend’s pushed Coulstock away but the former air force member came back and hit the Uber driver again.

Nearby police spotted the attack and intervened.

Crown prosecutor Jessica Guy said the attack was “unprovoked and protracted violence”.

“Not only the number of blows but continuing while he tried to protect himself until (Coulstock’s) friend intervened,” she said.

Defence barrister Michael Purcell, instructed by Rawlings Criminal Law, said Coulstock was “gobsmacked” when he saw the CCTV footage of the attack and was “extremely upset and remorseful”.

He said Coulstock had little memory of the attack and prior to punching the Uber driver had drunk about a bottle of bourbon.

Mr Purcell said Coulstock had previously been in the air force but was subjected to bastardisation during training and had since left.

He said Coulstock was also a trained tattooist and had previously lived on the Gold Coast.

Coulstock, a father of one, now lives on the Sunshine Coast.

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Originally published as Alfred Maurice John Coulstock beats up Uber driver after a request to hurry up