A man who assaulted and threatened to kill a guard and his family at the Town Hall in Newtown last year has been sent away, as the magistrate disputed his claim of alcohol-induced memory loss.
30-year-old Charles Begg of Merrylands appeared in court this week for an incident on 2 December last year at the pub on King St, in Sydney’s inner west.
According to Police facts tendered to court, Begg arrived at the pub shortly before 7pm. He asked two security guards at the entrance what were their surnames, and when one said his last name was Gorge, Begg is said to have replied the doorman was “the one I need to know”.
The man reportedly then went inside, where he was seen making phone calls, pointing to the doormen and made “a punching motion using his right hand to punch into the palm of his left hand,” read the police statement.
Begg is believed to have then approached the guard, asking if his name was Mina, before pushing him against a glass door.
“You are Mina, I know where you live, I know your brother, I know where your mum lives”, Begg stated, adopting a boxing stance and punching the guard in the shoulder, then the jaw. He followed the guard around the venue, continuing to attack him, saying “I’m going to kill you, I’m going to kill your family”, according to police.
The man left the Town Hall soon after, and went to the nearby Rose of Australia Hotel, in Erskineville. Police had been notified and he was arrested at the Rose.
This week the civil engineer from Merrylands faced court over charges of common assault and intimidation, where he submitted a plea of guilty, offering that he had been too intoxicated after a work Christmas party and does not remember what took place. His defence also tendered he did not know the victim.
It was revealed in court the defendant had two prior convictions for assault.
Magistrate Lisa Stapleton was sceptical of the defence claims, doubting the excuse that he was too drunk, as evidence had been presented that no-one at the Christmas party reported seeing him drunk, and significantly, that he would have been refused entry at both pubs.
Stapleton also did not believe Begg had no knowledge of the victim, suggesting there are few threats more serious than telling someone you were going to kill them “and kill your family”.
“I regard it as a planned offence, and that is an aggravating feature,” she said.
Magistrate Stapleton convicted Begg, sentencing him to 16 months in prison, with non-parole period of eight months.
