Charles Mills: Newstead teen guilty of assaulting friend’s ex-partner outside Lonnie’s Niteclub
A Tasmanian teenager has pleaded guilty to punching the ex-boyfriend of a female friend outside a popular nightclub, then taunting him on social media afterwards.
Police & Courts
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A Tasmanian teenager has pleaded guilty to punching the ex-boyfriend of his female friend outside a popular nightclub, then taunting him on social media afterwards.
Newstead man Charles James Mills, 19, appeared in Launceston Magistrates Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty via his lawyer to a single charge of common assault.
Magistrate Evan Hughes fined him $500 and declined to record a conviction, in recognition of the defendant’s young age, lack of prior offending, and early guilty plea.
The assault occurred at about 2am on September 10 outside Lonnie’s Niteclub on Brisbane St. The defendant and complainant were known to each other, as Mills was friends with the man’s ex-girlfriend.
The court heard the complainant arrived at the nightclub and lined up, at which point he was sighted by Mills, who approached him. After a “brief conversation,” Mills punched the man to the face, causing his “head to snap slightly to the side”.
The punch caused “slight pain” and did not require medical attention, the court was told.
The following day, Mills messaged the complainant, in response to a Snapchat the latter posted, “I thought you said my punch didn’t hurt that much mate, so why is half your face swollen?”
Mills subsequently messaged the complainant to say he’d punched him because of allegations, which were denied, that the man was harassing his ex-girlfriend, Mills’ friend, the court heard.
The defendant was interviewed by police later that evening, telling them he estimated he struck with a force of eight out of ten, and wanted to “knock some sense into him”.
Defence lawyer Grant Tucker told the court his client was intoxicated at the time of the assault and recognised he “snapped in the spur of the moment” and should not have struck the man.
“He’s learnt a lesson. He’s not a person who goes around acting that way,” Mr Tucker said.
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