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Braeden John Littlely: Geraldton man jailed for 18 months for coward’s punch has appeal rejected

Lachlan AllenMidwest Times
A Geraldton man jailed for 18 months over a coward’s punch at a local pub that left a love rival with a broken jaw has had his appeal against his sentence rejected.
Camera IconA Geraldton man jailed for 18 months over a coward’s punch at a local pub that left a love rival with a broken jaw has had his appeal against his sentence rejected. Credit: Edward Scown/Geraldton Guardian

A Geraldton man jailed for 18 months over a coward’s punch at a local pub that left a love rival with a broken jaw has had his appeal against his sentence rejected.

Braeden John Littlely was convicted after a trial of unlawfully doing grievous bodily to Dustin Peter Free.

On December 12, 2020, Mr Free was at the Geraldton Hotel with his girlfriend at the time, Tenika Littlely — who was Littlely’s estranged wife — and some other friends. Littlely and Ms Littlely had separated around January 2020 following the breakdown of their marriage.

Later that evening, Mr Free and his friends were in the beer garden area of the hotel. Mr Littlely was also in that area. Just after 11pm, Mr Free and friend, Jake Keleher, went to the toilet area of the hotel.

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When they were returning to their friends, Mr Free was punched to the side of his face.

Mr Free did not see who had punched him. The sentencing judge described it as “a strong and unexpected blow” Mr Keleher saw that it was Littlely who had thrown the punch.

The incident was captured on CCTV cameras in the beer garden. As a result of the punch, Mr Free’s jaw was broken in two places and he needed surgery in Perth to insert plates, screws and arch bars.

Following his conviction at trial, Littlely was sentenced in February to 18 months in jail.

Littlely appealed against the sentence, relying on three grounds — that the trial judge erred in considering previous sentencing decisions of the court by “not taking into account or not placing sufficient weight upon the differences between those cases and the case of the appellant”.

The other grounds of appeal argued the judge made a mistake in making findings about the “force of the punch giving rise to the grievous bodily harm” and imposed a sentence that was “manifestly excessive”.

But in a judgment handed down this week, the Court of Appeal found none of those grounds had a reasonable prospect of success and threw out Littlely’s appeal.

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