Man argues self-defence over Bondi baby shower brawl
The man charged over a violent brawl at a baby shower in Sydney’s eastern suburbs claims he was only trying to defend himself.
Vision of the out-of-control fight shows Junchi Ma in the middle of the Bondi melee, but he says his actions were reasonable as he feared he was going to be hit in the head.
Up to 10 people were involved in the four-minute fight, with some using chairs.
A Sydney court has heard Ma was punched by stranger Matt Xu at a baby shower at a Bondi Junction restaurant.
A man dressed in black also joined the fight, while another person throws soup and others pick up chairs.
Ma’s barrister told the court the Pymble man had no criminal record and was studying for his third university degree.
He also questioned why Ma was charged, and not anyone else in the fight.
But police did not accept Ma’s claims of self-defence, claiming the fight vision allegedly shows Ma run into the fray several times for another crack at Xu.
A leading sports doctor also gave evidence in court on Monday, argued that Ma may have been suffering concussion at the time, which would have affected his judgement.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
