Man jailed for ‘brutal’ unprovoked assault on Geraldton friend

A father of two who arrived unannounced at his mate’s Waggrakine home in the dead of night and “brutally” assaulted him without provocation has been jailed for eight months. Troy Anthony Deer, 42, was impaired by a cocktail of prescription medication and booze when he knocked on his sleeping friend’s front door at about 10pm on May 9. Immediately after being let inside Deer launched into an attack that lasted five minutes, during which he repeatedly punched and kicked the man in the head and body. The victim sustained a gash to his head and bruising. Deer pleaded guilty in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to assault occasioning bodily harm. His lawyer Melissa Wishart said he had no memory of the incident and no explanation for his actions. She said he had since left his twin daughters in Geraldton and moved to Perth to undergo anger management and drug and alcohol counselling. “He ceased methamphetamine use approximately three months ago,” Ms Wishart said. “We hope the court can see from the steps he’s taken that he’s highly motivated to ensure this doesn’t happen again.” But Magistrate Elaine Campione said Deer had a history of assault convictions, including one for which he received a suspended sentence in March. She said the circumstances of the latest assault were “difficult to comprehend”. “You rocked up at the victim’s house in the hours of darkness and you got him out of bed,” Ms Campione said. “It was a brutal and sustained attack — fortunately he didn’t sustain any serious injuries — and it was completely unprovoked. “The long and short of it is that you knew you shouldn’t drink when you were taking that medication and you did — you drank to excess. “There really is no mitigation in your record ... You’ve reoffended within a matter of months. We’ve definitely reached a sentence of last resort.” Deer will be eligible for parole.