Father abandons baby to knock friend unconcious
The Sydney Morning Herald
Sharron Tonkin
January 18,2016
Shocking video footage has been shown in a Wollongong court of an intoxicated father leaving his nine-month-old son unattended to chase after his mate and knock him unconscious.
The man, who cannot be named, left the child unrestrained in a pram precariously close to stairs at Thirroul railway station on the evening of December 27, 2014, to run after the victim following an argument between the pair.
The footage shows the father throw a series of punches at his friend, the second of which appears to knock the man out cold, causing him to slump to the ground.
The men struggle. Photo: Supplied
The father goes back to his son, but then returns to his unconscious friend's side when another man arrives.
He then rolls the victim over and tries to wake him, at one stage taking the man's wallet and going through it, while the child remains alone at the other end of the station overpass.
The victim wakes after several minutes and is able to stand up.
The victim goes down. Photo: Supplied
Court documents said the father told police at the scene that his mate was "jumped" by "two young blokes".
Both the father and the victim were allowed to leave, along with the child, but the matter was reported to Family and Community Services.
The father was arrested a few days later and charged with assault and child neglect after police viewed the CCTV footage from the train station.
The victim lies unconscious, as the attacker tries to revive him. Photo: Supplied
In court on Friday, defence lawyer Adam Barnes sought leniency for his client, saying he'd successfully completed an alcohol rehabilitation program and was deeply ashamed of his actions.
However, magistrate Michael Stoddart jailed the man for at least eight months and fined him $2000 owing to the seriousness of the incident.
The man immediately lodged an appeal against the sentence and was released on bail in the interim.