Man ate lizard to avoid beating
A man ate a lizard to avoid being bashed by his outlaw bikie friend, but instead wound up with a broken jaw.
Mark Anthony Mitchell, a former member of the Rebel Motorcycle Club, was jailed for over four years for extortion and assault causing grievous bodily harm after Mitchell Noe refused to take part in an eBay scam.
Mitchell, 33, pleaded not guilty to torturing his mate who was forced to eat a gecko. Noe stopped eating the reptile after it made him physically ill.
Prosecutor Ken Spinaze claimed Noe continued eating the reptile at the behest of Mitchell.
The Crown dropped the torture charges after it learned Mitchell would plead guilty to attacking Noe and causing grievous bodily harm.
The incident occurred on February 23 last year, with Mitchell throwing a 'flurry of punches' that shattered the jaw of Noe on Bribie Island - 50km north of Brisbane.
Mitchell, who now reportedly has connections to another outlaw bikie gang, masterminded an eBay scam in which he sold bogus items. He would collect the money via associates such as Noe and never deliver the buyer their item.
Judge Michael Rackemann ordered Mitchell's prison term be suspended after 17 months in custody.
