A miner who drunkenly assaulted his father on Christmas day during a trip home for the holidays has been sentenced to a community corrections order.
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The man's victim accompanied him to court on January 17 to give emotional support to the 32-year-old who bashed him repeatedly in an hour-long tirade in which the younger man threatened to kill him.
Magistrate Michael Holmes told him he was lucky to have such a good dad.
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The 32-year-old man, who now lives in Yeppoon in Queensland and earns $140,000 a year working as a miner, returned home to Emmaville on the afternoon of Christmas Day.
He began drinking just a few beers, court documents show, but as the afternoon went on he moved onto stronger and stronger alcohol as his mood turned darker, and he became argumentative and ultimately violent.
Within four-and-a-half hours he'd finished an entire 750ml bottle of bourbon.
He began complaining about his life, saying nobody liked him - and that even his father didn't like him.
He punched his dad in the face hard, leaving his victim with a bleeding nose. He then punched him several more times.
The older man put his son on the ground and punched him a handful of times to let him know enough was enough. But the assaults didn't end for another hour.
As the tirade went on he began punching doors and pushed another victim into a wall, smacking her with another punch in the face.
His dad tried to contain him; his son threatened to kill him. The older man went for help from a neighbour - but the aggressiveness continued.
It took police to end the attacks; they found him sitting outside the house, unsteady on his feet and slurring his words with a cloth on his face over an injury to his eye.
He was taken to hospital under police guard for treatment for a black eye and a cut under his eye.
In Glen Innes Local Court on Friday he said he felt sick about his behaviour and described his dad as his biggest supporter.
Magistrate Michael Holmes said alcohol brings out the worst in people. He took into account the early guilty plea and a lack of prior convictions, levied a $500 fine and sentenced he to a two-year community corrections order and ordered the man participate in alcohol and anger management counseling.
The man said he'd taken steps to correct his behavior and swore not to drink at this year's Christmas party.