Glassing victim fights against charges of affray in court
A man who had a bottle smashed over his head in an altercation outside a Parramatta pub is fighting charges of affray, claiming he never threw a punch in the brawl.
Jeremy Hawthorne woke up in a hospital bed the night after a birthday celebration with a number of injuries to his head.
“I woke up in the morning with a broken nose and a couple of scratches, stab wounds on my face,” he told 7 News.
The wild brawl took place last year, with security cameras recording the moment Mr Hawthorne was knocked unconscious.
As two groups of men move across the road outside the pub, the 22-year-old can be seen removing his shirt and walking backwards before a man smashes a glass bottle over his head.
“Before I could even get a word out I was bottled from behind, and stabbed in the face,” he said.
He claims the men who instigated the fight were making disparaging comments about his sister and when he went to confront them, he was hit over the head with the bottle.
Even after the fight broke up, Mr Hawthorne was left lying motionless in a pool of blood on the side of the road.
Police attended the scene where they estimate more than 20 people were involved, causing them to shut down nearby Smith Street.
Now, Mr Hawthorne is accused of starting the melee.
On Wednesday, he arrived to court to defend himself against a charge of affray.
“If I had have thrown punches yeah, but as you can see from the video I hadn't even thrown one,” he told 7 News.
The man responsible for his injuries pleaded guilty.
He is currently serving jail time for a number of offences.
News break – March 30
