A Kiama man involved in two brutal fights near Wollongong Railway Station after a drunken night out has escaped time behind bars, despite beating a friend-turned-foe unconscious in one of the confrontations.
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Jacob Cooper, 20, had no previous criminal record when he set upon a group of men outside the station just after 3.30am on October 1.
Court documents said Cooper’s cousin attempted to separate the warring parties however Cooper managed to punch two of the men in the face before his cousin and a second man (who would go on to become the victim of the second assault) intervened.
Cooper’s cousin dragged his relative onto the carriage of a waiting southbound train.
CCTV footage of the incident captured Cooper removing his white T-shirt and continuing to yell at the group in a bid to keep the fight going.
Cooper’s cousin eventually took him off the train and out to the carpark. A few minutes later Cooper approached his would-be friend and ally in the first fight and shook his hand.
The two men began talking however their conversation quickly developed into an argument, prompting Cooper to punch the victim.
The older man fell to the ground, at which time Cooper stomped on his head and kicked him in the face.
The pair both fell to the ground and began wrestling, prompting Cooper’s cousin to again come to his relative’s aid and drag him away.
However, when the victim got to his feet and walked onto the road in front of railway station, Cooper picked up a nearby shopping trolley, lifted it above his head and threw it at the older man, hitting him in the body.
Cooper then ran towards him and delivered an uppercut-style punch to the man’s face, causing him to slump to the ground unconscious and bleeding.
Police arrived on the scene to see Cooper deliver one final punch to the back of the victim’s head as he sat motionless on the ground.
They arrested Cooper after a brief confrontation, noting he was highly intoxicated.
In court on Tuesday, Cooper pleaded guilty to assault and affray charges but provided little explanation for his behaviour that night other than to say the victim had “wanted to fight”.
“I didn’t start most of it,” Cooper told the court sullenly as he tried to downplay the seriousness of his actions, particularly during the second assault
“I had already been fighting with the other guys for 10 minutes, I wasn’t in a position to walk away.”
Magistrate Robert Walker handed Cooper a 12-month good behaviour bond as punishment, saying the absence of a criminal record was the only thing that saved him from going to jail.