Jack Houldcroft, Trent Potts, Phillip O’Donnell and Jake Mitchell faced the County Court in Melbourne on Thursday, where they were punished for their role in a February 2019 street fight on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda.
The four men had attended a birthday party for Potts’ brother on February 23, before heading out to a St Kilda nightclub. On their way home, about 3am Potts got in a fight with another person and kicked them in the groin.
Police were called in response, and when they tried to speak to Potts and move him to the footpath he broke free and ran off down Fitzroy Street.
The officers pursued him, with Potts falling over and then getting up and turning around in a fighting stance.
One of the officers tried to pull Potts to the ground, but he resisted and lashed out at him, kicking and hitting the officer in the chest. Houldcroft, O’Donnell and Mitchell arrived and a street brawl ensued.
The second officer tried to intervene in the fight, but O’Donnell dragged him out and rammed his head repeatedly into the ground, rendering him unconscious and causing facial fractures.
The other officer suffered a ruptured bicep and required surgery.
“During the affray, you behaved like a pack of animals, you in particular O’Donnell,” Judge Scott Johns said.
“It was an extremely ugly and violent affray.”
He sentenced Potts to three months in prison in combination with a community work order for his role.
O’Donnell received a 15-month prison sentence, and must serve a minimum of eight-months before he will become eligible for parole.
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Houldcroft and Mitchell were both handed two-year community correction orders for their parts in the brawl.
The judge said the police were outnumbered five to two and the fight would have been “clearly frightening” to bystanders, who were seen watching on in horror on CCTV.
“Each of your victims was simply at his workplace, trying to get through a Saturday night upholding the law, upholding the peace,” Johns said.
“Each of you in varying degrees took an opportunity to disregard their authority and embark upon a brazen and cowardly group attack upon them.
“The confidence and willingness of each of you to resort to using your fists was shocking.”
He said such an attack on police amounted to “an attack upon society itself”.
“Random street violence is a scourge on our society, mob violence must be condemned,” Judge Johns said.
Speaking outside court, Police Association of Victoria Secretary Wayne Gatt echoed the judge’s sentiments.
“They were shocking, they were violent,” he said.
“They acted like animals. Our members are left scratching their heads a little bit and saying, well, is it enough? Can I just say this: nothing will ever be enough for the sort of violence we witnessed.
“At least for the next 15 months, people in St Kilda should be a little bit more comforted that people, that animals, that bottom feeding bogans like this have been put away as they rightly should be.”
