Arabic version: الحكم على منفذ اعتداء «اللكمة الواحدة» في غولد كوست

According to ABC News, Jairlan Victor Bruce Simpson, 21, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty in Southport District Court to grievous bodily harm over a New Year’s Day assault at the Pacific Fair shopping centre precinct on the Gold Coast.

The court heard a 44-year-old Carrara man made a derogatory comment to Simpson’s then-girlfriend and another female friend while they waited for an Uber after New Year’s Eve celebrations. The women urged Simpson to leave the matter, but prosecutors said he rode to the Pacific Fair bus station and confronted the man.

Seconds later, and without warning or provocation, Simpson punched the man on the right side of the face, causing him to fall unconscious onto the road. Footage played in court showed Simpson searching the victim’s pockets and bag for 20 seconds while blood pooled from his head, before leaving briefly and later returning to try to revive him.

The victim was taken to hospital, spent about a week in an induced coma and completed a month of intensive rehabilitation. Judge Deborah Holliday KC said he continued to experience significant effects, including memory loss, persistent headaches, and fear and intimidation in social settings.

Judge Holliday considered Simpson’s age, lack of criminal history, early guilty plea and remorse, but rejected a partly suspended sentence. She said the victim had posed no physical threat and that the offending caused serious, ongoing consequences. Simpson, who turned himself in days after the incident and has remained in custody, will be released on parole on November 6 this year.