A Tasmanian man who chased down and struck another man with his Toyota Hilux – after the victim fled the property following a backyard confrontation – has been jailed for three years and nine months.
Carl Munday, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful act intended to cause bodily harm and one count of assault over the January 2022 incident.
The Supreme Court of Tasmania heard the victim arrived at Munday’s home intoxicated, demanding help to retrieve tools he had previously left at the property.
He made threats against Munday and his 12-year-old son, who became so distressed he retreated to his bedroom.
Munday then called Triple Zero (000) seeking police assistance.
A recording of the call, played in court, captured the victim behaving “belligerently” in the background.
When Munday and his son attempted to leave in their vehicle, the victim smashed the windscreen with an electrical safety switch, showering them with glass.
Munday initially drove at the man, pinning him against a wheelie bin – conduct prosecutors accepted may have amounted to lawful self-defence.
But when the victim jumped a fence and ran, Munday gave chase.
“I want to kill you, you piece of s—t,” he yelled as he drove after the fleeing man.
Investigators found no evidence of braking before Munday struck the victim at speeds of up to 40km/h, throwing him onto the bonnet and then onto the roadway.
Munday then got out of the ute and punched the injured man repeatedly as he lay on the ground, before bystanders stepped in to restrain him.
The victim suffered fractures to two vertebrae and continues to experience ongoing pain, which has limited his ability to work as a tiler.
He also now suffers anxiety triggered by the sound of large engines.
Justice Tamara Jago acknowledged Munday’s intellectual impairment and an acquired brain injury sustained in a car crash at 18, which also resulted in the amputation of his leg.
A forensic psychologist found a link between the brain injury and his offending, noting it reduced his capacity to “exercise appropriate judgment” and increased “disinhibited behaviours when under stress”.
But Justice Jago said Munday’s actions after the victim fled were “serious, dangerous and criminal”.
“You used a motor vehicle as a weapon,” she said.
Munday will be eligible for parole after serving half his sentence, backdated to December 5.
