ACT court sentences Bradley Thomas Inglis for assault after prank gone wrong on Alinga Street

Bradley Thomas Inglis, who in 2016 signed with the Boston Red Sox, pleaded guilty to assaulting one of the men and was found guilty of joint commission assault of another man occasioning actual bodily harm.

Inglis appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning when the court heard he was a former competitive baseball player with a promising career in the US before an injury caused him to return to Canberra, where he grew up.

The 24-year-old was with two other men, drinking on a night in November 2020 when they "pranked" members of the public walking past on Alinga Street.

The main victim of the assault was startled and raised his middle finger up at the group, causing a "domino effect" according to Inglis' lawyer Tim Sharman.

Inglis then grabbed and pushed the man, causing the man to slap Inglis in the face. Inglis again escalated the incident by punching the man in his face while one of his co-offenders "shoved the victim to the ground".

Prosecutor Stafford Whitfield said that while one of Inglis' co-offenders was the "instigator" of the prank, "Inglis was the first to use violence" and escalated the "unprovoked" altercation.

Mr Whitfield said CCTV footage shows Inglis hitting and kicking the victim "while he was on the ground", causing significant bleeding and the man to later need multiple stitches above his eyebrow.

A second victim said he was also hit in the face and neck by Inglis when he tried to stop him from assaulting his friend.

Mr Sharman said Inglis had "accepted full responsibility for his actions" and that "his remorse is genuine" and he should get a community-based sentence rather than jail time.

Magistrate James Lawton said while "they are all equally liable, Inglis was the first to use violence" and that "a term of imprisonment is appropriate".

Magistrate Lawton previously sentenced Inglis' co-offenders to nine month jail sentences, suspended upon them entering good behaviour orders for 12 months. Both were also fined $1000 each.

Mr Lawton sentenced Inglis also to nine month jail, suspended upon him entering a good behaviour order for 12 months. Inglis was fined $3500.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: