A Burnie man who knocked an intoxicated patron unconscious with a single punch outside a north-west hotel has been sentenced to 10 months in prison.
Jesse Lee Woodhouse, 24, pleaded guilty to assault over the March 2023 incident at the Top of the Town Hotel on Mount Street.
The Supreme Court heard the victim had been drinking heavily when he pushed Woodhouse in the hotel car park shortly after midnight.
Woodhouse responded with a “round-arm, hook-style punch” delivered with “considerable force”, hitting the man on the left side of his face.
The victim, who was visibly affected by alcohol, collapsed and was unconscious for about 30 seconds. Police arrested Woodhouse soon after.
He suffered a depressed skull fracture and multiple broken nasal bones. He was unable to work for a month and initially avoided his children because of his injuries.
“He now feels generally anxious and hyper-vigilant and is apprehensive in social settings where he does not know people,” Justice Tamara Jago said.
The court rejected Woodhouse’s self-defence claim after reviewing police body-worn camera footage.
“… There is nothing about your actions that could be justified in self-defence,” Justice Jago said, calling the response “extreme”.
“Striking another person to the head and face area, particularly when they are intoxicated and standing on a hard surface, is an inherently dangerous thing to do.”
Justice Jago said violence around licensed premises was “all too common”, noting that even a single blow could cause serious injury or death.
Woodhouse has a lengthy criminal history, including youth detention and a 2021 conviction for aggravated armed robbery involving a knife, during which he and another person tried to rob a disabled man of his phone and keys.
However, the court heard he had made recent efforts to change, including becoming a father of three and claiming 12 months of sobriety.
Justice Jago had initially considered home detention but ruled it out after Woodhouse misrepresented his employment status during assessment.
His 10-month sentence, backdated to August 14, 2025, will have the final four months suspended for two years on the condition he commits no further offences.
A compensation order was also made in the victim’s favour.
