An up-and-coming Group Seven player has been admonished by a Wollongong magistrate for his behaviour at a silent disco on Australia Day.
Jack Walsh, 22, pleaded guilty to charges of hindering police and damaging property after a request that he leave the Illawarra Hotel got out of hand.
On January 26, 2023, Walsh attended a silent disco at the Illawarra Hotel.
A silent disco is where a group of people listen to music played through headphones, rather than through speakers.
A responsible service of alcohol officer approached Walsh who was showing signs of drunkenness and asked him to leave.
Walsh began to argue with the RSA officer and became agitated, according to documents submitted to the court, before he hurled the headphones at a wall.
Police at the venue saw Walsh discard the headphones and stopped him.
This caused Walsh to become defensive and he denied damaging the headphones, before becoming antagonistic and confrontational.
Police took Walsh outside the venue and asked him for his identification which he refused to provide. Police arrested Walsh for malicious damage who continued to refuse to provide them with his details.
Police handcuffed Walsh, who writhed and twisted away from officers, before he was taken to the ground by police and assisting security guards
Once the handcuffs were secured, Walsh was taken to Wollongong Police Station where he complained of pain in his wrists.
After paramedics arrived, Walsh told them to "get f---ed" and refused to be interviewed or speak with a lawyer.
On the day of a scheduled hearing in Wollongong Local Court, defence lawyer Graham Morrison entered guilty pleas to the two chargers on Walsh's behalf.
Mr Morrison said his client did not believe he was affected by alcohol and initially "arced up" after being requested to leave.
Walsh did not understand what police were asking of him, Mr Morrison said, and this was why he resisted being arrested.
However, Magistrate Michael O'Brien had little sympathy for Walsh's behaviour, saying the labourer's conduct was "boorish".
"Your behaviour had as much intellectual input as a three-year-old told to pack his toys up," Mr O'Brien said.
Mr O'Brien chose not to record a conviction and released Walsh with a requirement he be of good behaviour for the next nine months.
Walsh will have to pay $65 to the Illawarra Hotel to cover the damage to the headphones.
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