Bat attack puts man, 46, in jail

A MAN who whacked another man in the face with a baseball bat and fractured his eye socket has been sentenced to three years jail.

Ipswich District Court was told the altercation started 13 months before the attack when the victim threw a brick at Justyn Joshua Desnica's car and damaged it.

The victim, who lived down the road from Desnica in Wright St, Redbank Plains, promised to pay to fix the car but never did.

On the night of October 23, 2010, in Wright St, Desnica, 23 and his father, Nikola Desnica, 46, armed themselves with baseball bats and went to the victim's house.

Desnica Jnr's friend, Hayden Anthony O'Connor, 21, joined them but was not armed.

The men yelled for the victim to come out, so he grabbed a golf club and a brawl started.

The victim hit one of the men with such force he broke the golf club before Desnica Snr struck him once in the face with a baseball bat. Another man was assaulted and the three men fled.

Relatives and friends of the victim were called in to execute revenge on the men, and Desnica Snr was bashed as he lay on the ground in front of his home.

He received multiple facial, head, neck and back injuries. The victim has had major surgery to repair his face.

Desnica Snr yesterday pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company and wilful damage. The three-year term will be suspended on June 27 for four years.

Desnica Jnr and O'Connor pleaded guilty to two counts each of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and in company and wilful damage and were both sentenced to 18 months prison wholly suspended for three years.