Skull fracture after alleged one-punch incident

A Port Hedland man suffered a fracture to his skull late on Saturday night when an altercation at a local venue led to an alleged one-punch attack.

The victim was allegedly assaulted by a man in his late 20s about 10.50pm and suffered a fracture which spanned from the back of his head to the front of his eye socket after falling to the ground following the incident.

Port Hedland Sergeant Jason Gentili said a number of verbal altercations had happened between two groups at the venue, before things escalated.

He said the alleged attacker, who later handed himself into police as a result of inquiries, said he was provoked after the man spat at him.

“The incident shouldn’t have happened,” he said. “If the groups had not gotten to that level of intoxication it may well have been avoided.”

The alleged victim, who attended Hedland Health Campus and was released on Sunday, also received a fractured jaw, loosened teeth and suffered from minor bleeding on the brain after the attack.

Sgt Gentili said similar incidents happened “often enough” in Hedland and added the charge could have been far worse if the victim had required surgery for his injuries.

He urged punters to look out for one another when attending local drinking venues.

“When you get out on the town with your friends, you should protect each other,” he said.

The alleged attacker was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and will face South Hedland’s Magistrate’s Court on November 30.