Tradie bashed an 18-year-old girl in nightclub toilets after she asked him for toilet paper while he hid inside the next cubicle with his girlfriend
- Tradesman pleaded guilty to assaulting an 18-year-old women in nightclub toilet
- Alex Rowe was in the women’s toilet when women asked for some toilet paper
- She wasn’t aware Rowe was in next cubicle with his girlfriend who swore at her
- When she spoke back to Rowe’s girlfriend he stormed out and bashed her
When a woman in a nightclub toilet asked the person in the next cubicle for toilet paper, the last thing she expected was to be bashed by a stocky tradesman.
That is what an 18-year-old New Zealand reveller endured at a Surfers Paradise nightclub in February 2018, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
The Southport Magistrates Court heard how 23-year-old tradesman Alex Ian Rowe was inside the next cubicle with his girlfriend at the time, allegedly comforting her.
When the victim asked for some toilet paper the court heard Rowe’s girlfriend responded ‘get f*****’.
When an 18-year-old woman in a nightclub toilet asked the next cubicle for some toilet paper the last thing she expected was to be bashed by a stocky tradesman (stock image)
This prompted the victim to storm out of her cubicle and demand Rowe’s girlfriend ‘say it to her face’.
Instead a big, built and angry tradesman came storming out of the cubicle and began to bash her.
The assault was so vicious it left the victim with a black eye and a split lip among a host of facial injuries.
Magistrate Pamela Dowse said she was sickened by the Rowe’s action – and that he was in the women’s toilet to begin with.
‘I’ve had a look at the photos of the girl, who was only 18 years of age, who has copped a number of punches from you,’ Ms Dowse was quoted saying.
Magistrate Dowse took all the facts into consideration and sentenced Rowe to 18 months probation and issued a fine of $905.78 probation to cover the travel expenses of the victim who was set to fly to Australia to give evidence
‘It absolutely makes me feel sick in the stomach.
‘She asks the person in the next toilet to pass her some toilet paper and this is what she gets. How revolting.’
Rowe’s defence lawyer, Campbell MacCallum, told the court his client had misinterpreted the victim’s words to mean she wanted to fight him.
Rowe pleaded guilty to the charge of assault occasioning bodily harm.
Magistrate Dowse took all the facts into consideration and sentenced Rowe to 18 months probation and issued a fine of $905.78 probation to cover the travel expenses of the victim who was set to fly to Australia to give evidence.
After the sentence was made public a number of residents took to social media to share their disgust.
‘This guy should have been jailed no questions asked,’ one angry user wrote.
‘I’ll say it AGAIN….our judicial system is a JOKE…seems to favour the guilty, time and time again,’ another added.
‘What the hell is wrong with people,’ a third user wrote.