Men brutalise 57y/o with bat and blockbuster: ‘It breaks my heart that my granddaughter thinks I look scary’
A 57-year-old attacked at home by three men armed with a blockbuster and a bat says it breaks his heart that his granddaughter thinks he looks scary now. The men broke his back, shoulder and teeth because of bad blood one of them had with his son. READ MORE>>
The Launceston News
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BAD blood between two men has resulted in a 57-year-old father being severely brutalised in his own driveway by three men armed with a blockbuster and a bat.
Steven Anthony Dunne, 28, and Paul Lance Broad, 25, pleaded guilty to wounding charges in the Supreme Court in Launceston on Thursday after seeing security footage of the incident.
The court heard the victim, Phillip Adams, was the father of a man Dunne had been in a back and forth feud with doing burnouts in front of each other’s homes.
Security footage from Mr Adam’s home was played in court on Thursday.
It showed a dark Holden Commodore, driven by Dunne, stop outside Mr Adams’ home after 11pm on June 17 last year and do a burnout until the street filled with smoke.
An unknown man exited the car and went into victim Philip Adams’ driveway and struck the rear of his Nissan Navara ute with a blunt object before returning to the car.
The court saw Mr Adams and his wife run down the driveway and Mr Adams hit the Commodore with a small bat.
Two men, Broad and a 21-year-old who cannot be named as he is yet to face court, exited the Commodore.
Broad wrestled with Mr Adams as the other man, referred to in court as ‘G’, struck Mr Adams’ car and truck with a blockbuster.
Dunne followed the men into the driveway, took the blockbuster from ‘G’ and struck Mr Adams on the legs, abdomen, and head with it as he wrestled with Broad on the ground and tried to get up.
The court heard ‘G’ took Adams’ small bat and hit him twice with it before smashing the passenger side window of his ute.
Throughout the incident, the three men punched, kicked and struck Mr Adams with the bat and blockbuster repeatedly to the head and body.
The men retreated to their car and left the scene.
Adams was taken to hospital by ambulance where he was treated for a fractured vertebrae, fractured shoulder, a wound to the top of his head and lacerations to his abdomen and lips.
His gums were “torn away from his teeth” and his teeth were broken and concussed.
He has now lost eight teeth in total and more are damaged and may require attention.
Mr Adams provided a victim impact statement to the court, which described the physical, psychological and financial impact of the attack and said his trust in people had been “destroyed”.
The statement said he had to refinance his house to fix his car and cover his dental bills.
It said he was “really proud” of the care he had taken of his teeth and for them too all still be his own at his age, but was now embarrassed because people think he has neglected them.
He said his granddaughter told him he looked scary now.
“It breaks my heart to think my grand daughter thinks I look scary,”
Defence lawyers said the men were heavily intoxicated at the time they carried out the attack, but did not go to the address intending to harm anyone.
The court heard Mr Adams’ son, who Dunne was allegedly feuding with, did not live at the address.
Justice Michael Brett said; “I think it’s clear there will be sentences of imprisonment imposed”.
The matter was adjourned for sentencing on August 26.