Bra Boy thug who unleashed a flurry of punches on a stranger outside a pub after drinking six vodka raspberries appeals his sentence because 'he was smaller' than his victim
- Jackson Travers, 21, bashed Sateki Tuitavake, 26, near a Sydney hotel last year
- He avoided jail time and was sentenced to three years community corrections
- The Bra Boy's defence lawyer claimed his client felt threatened before the attack
A thug who repeatedly punched a stranger outside a pub after drinking six vodka raspberries has appealed his sentence, claiming he was intimidated because his victim was a larger man than him.
Jackson Travers, 21, bashed Sateki Tuitavake, 26, outside the Regent Redfern Hotel in inner Sydney on September 20, the night the Rabbitohs beat the Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL semi-finals.
Travers, who is part of the Bra Boys surf gang, pleaded guilty to affray and was sentenced to a three-year community corrections order with supervision and ordered to complete an anger management course.
But in the District Court on Monday he argued the conviction was too strong for someone with an otherwise clean record, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Travers (right), who is part of the notorious Maroubra surf gang the Bra Boys, drank six vodka raspberries before leaving a Redfern pub before the attack
The Bra Boy's defence lawyer asked for the sentence to be reduced to one year of community corrections.
He also stated that Mr Tuitavake approached Travers - the 'smaller of the two' - before the assault began, and that his client felt threatened.
Share this article
Judge Jane Culver dismissed the appeal and said Travers was 'considerably fortunate' not to wind up in jail due the severity of the offence.
She said many others had died in one-punch attacks in similar circumstances.
He also stated that Mr Tuitavake approached Travers - the 'smaller of the two' - before the assault began, and that his client felt threatened (pictured: CCTV of the incident)
Police claimed Travers drank six vodka raspberries before leaving the pub at about midnight on the night of the attack.
Mr Tuitavake left the same pub and walked to cross the road when Travers was seen on CCTV yelling out to him.
Travers then punched Mr Tuitavake in the face a total of eight times.
The Bra Boy then fled the scene, but later claimed to police he was the victim of the assault.
He told police he said 'Go the Bunnies' and 'Up the Bunnies' before being punched.
'It was self-defence, I come out of the pub saying "Go the Bunnies" and he f***ing punched me in the face,' Travers said.
Jackson Travers (left, with his brother Ray), 21, bashed Sateki Tuitavake, 26, during an argument over football on the night the Rabbitohs beat Manly in last year's semi-finals
Police initially believed his version of events until they saw the security camera footage.
The bashing came just two months after Travers was found not guilty of retired bus driver Peter Hofmann's 2017 murder.
Travers and his brother Ray spent a year in jail before being acquitted of Mr Hofmann's brutal murder on the night of the second State of Origin game in 2017.
Both brothers were found not guilty.
Mr Hofmann had been living in a Ford Laser after a series of failed investments, and was found dead in the car with multiple stab wounds on June 21.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
