A Campbelltown tradie who hit an elderly man during a parking dispute at Bulli last year, leaving him fighting for life in hospital, has pleaded guilty to a charge of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Alasdair Papalii became involved in an argument with the 76-year-old victim on Hospital Road, near the Bulli Aged Care Centre construction site, about 7am on May 1 after Papalii moved a garbage bin so he and other workers could find a place to park.
The dispute became increasingly heated, prompting Papalii to hit the victim in the right side of his face with the back of his closed fist.
The hit was described by a witness as a quick "cheek jab".
The victim fell slowly to the ground, landing in a garden bed, at which time he suffered a stroke.
Papalii's brother went to check on the victim before asking a neighbour to contact paramedics.
The victim was taken to Wollongong Hospital then transferred to Prince of Wales Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, including having stents placed in his carotid artery.
Meanwhile, police set up a crime scene on Hospital Road.
Papalii was arrested in Campbelltown the following day.
He made full admissions to his crime when interviewed by police, telling them he knew he should have "walked away" instead of hitting the victim.
A set of agreed facts tendered to Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday said Papalii had been sub-contracted to work at the site and had travelled there that day with his brother, who was driving, and two other colleagues in the same vehicle.
Papalii's brother told police he experienced difficulty finding locating a parking spot but eventually found one in front of a white ute a short distance from the intersection of Hospital Road and the Princes Highway.
In front of the white ute, on the road, was a garbage bin.
One of Papalii's colleagues got out of the vehicle and moved the bin to enable the car to park.
The victim came out of his house, saw what had occurred and began arguing with Papalii about the moving of the bin, which preempted the assault.
The court documents said the victim had suffered permanent physical disability from the assault, as well as "severe psychological effects" directly related to the attack.
The victim's treating doctor prepared a statement for the court in which he confirmed the man had suffered an "ischaemic stroke" following "acute trauma".
Papalii remains on bail and will face court at a later date for sentencing.
