A BALLARAT father and son have been condemned by a magistrate for “taking the law into their own hands” after they attacked a group of partygoers, including a female who was struck with a metal pole.
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Paul McPhan, 45, and his son Luke McPhan, 21, appeared in Ballarat Magistrates Court yesterday, where they originally contested charges of affray before pleading guilty after being given an indication of their sentences.
The court heard Luke McPhan knocked a female victim unconscious on a Sebastopol Street about 3.30am on August 11, 2012, after striking her with a pole with such force that it broke in two.
The court heard the confrontation began after the father and son heard noises out the front of their property.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Kilburn said the pair went outside and, believing their letterbox had been damaged, confronted the group of people who had been leaving a party.
Paul McPhan pleaded guilty to the assault and was fined $1200. Luke McPhan, who also pleaded guilty to several other unrelated offences, was given a community correction order.
