An Australian man has been jailed for breaking a fellow drinker's jaw in a fight over his boyfriend at a Brisbane gay pub. Damien Matthew Soden, 30, claimed he was defending his boyfriend when he punched Karl Hammant at the Wickham Hotel in May 2007. The assault occurred when Soden's boyfriend was having a row with Hammant, who the boyfriend knew. Soden was "always the peacemaker," according to his lawyer, and had tried to calm down an argument between his boyfriend and others that day. The lawyer said after the punch, which also broke hiss hand, Soden assisted his victim before leaving with his boyfriend. Summing up the judge noted that even though Soden had unleashed only one punch "it must have been a forceful blow," and sentenced Soden to two years' jail, eligible for parole after six months.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 22nd May 2009 - 2:21am