Woman ‘bashed at random’ in Surfers takeaway queue
A 21-YEAR-OLD woman waiting in a queue for a takeaway meal has allegedly been attacked at random by two men in Surfers Paradise overnight.
The shocking allegations were on Saturday aired in the Southport Magistrates Court after one of the men - a 25-year-old airconditioning technician from Victoria, who the court heard has a violent criminal history - applied for bail for the offending described by police as "unprovoked violence" against a woman, aged 21.
But Magistrate Catherine Pirie refused the bail application for Nathan Clarke, who was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm in company in the early hours of Saturday morning, saying: "The defendant has only been in the jurisdiction for nine days. In that period is (he) alleged to have committed a serious offence on a member of the community here at the Gold Coast and while he had no history in Queensland … his history from Victoria is very worrying."
Police allege the woman was waiting in line at an Orchid Ave kebab shop about 1.10am on Saturday when another man, who has also been charged, approached her "at speed" and spat in her face.
Officers allege Clarke, who was behind the female, then punched her in the face "knocking her to the ground" before fleeing the scene.
Both men were arrested nearby.
After police attended the scene and a number of "outraged" members of the public came forward to provide statements to officers about the incident, which was allegedly entirely captured on CCTV, the court on Saturday heard.
The woman was later taken to hospital in a "distressed, in a state of shock".
" … She said she was nauseas, her vision was blurred and she complained of a severe jaw pain," Magistrate Pirie said, reading from the police allegations on Saturday.
The court heard Clarke had been released from jail in Melbourne four months ago after being sentenced to 54 months behind bars for an aggravated burglary and intentionally causing injury.
He was released on parole after serving three years in custody.
Clarke also served jail time in Victoria for the theft of a car and another burglary, before being released last year, the court heard.
Clarke's lawyer, Mollie Roper, on Saturday said the 25-year-old would contest the allegations against him.
"My client denies punching the complainant and (says) any contact with the complainant was acting in self-defence," the Cooper Maloy Legal solicitor said.
Clarke was remanded in custody until February 4.
Originally published as Woman 'bashed at random' in Surfers takeaway queue
