Man ‘coward punched’ doing favour for mate

A man who was doing a favour for a friend in hospital was assaulted for his pains on Friday afternoon at Lismore Heights.

He was first ‘coward punched’ to the ground and later pursued by a neighbour apparently heavily affected by drugs or alcohol, and who by this time was naked.

The victim, who spoke to Echonetdaily on condition of anonymity, said he had offered to take some of his friend’s belongings from hospital back to his house in Oakeshott Street.

Around 3pm, as he approached the house in his car, the man said he observed a commotion taking place on the street near his friend’s home.

‘I sensed the guy was a bit out of it, so I parked my car a little bit further up the street,’ he said.

He added that the man, who was wearing black trousers with no shirt, ‘ was staggering around and loudly hassling some tradesmen’.

The good Samaritan was able to secure his friend’s belongings but as he was leaving the house the man approached him from behind and delivered a coward’s punch to the back of his head.

The impact threw him to the ground and sent his glasses flying.

‘I can’t see without my glasses and I was really scared, the man said.

‘I said “I’m just dropping off a bag for a friend”. The man was screaming, rambling about something. I found my glasses and just bolted back to my car,’ he added.

‘The man followed me to my car, ranting and raving. It was very frightening,’ he said.

The man said he drove off up the street before pulling over to report the matter to police.

‘I got out and took a photo on my phone for evidence. As I got back in the car to call the police I saw the man in my rear-view mirror running at me again, this time naked.’

‘I am not easily frightened but this guy was just psycho. I’m not sure whether he was on drugs or alcohol,’ the victim said.

According to Richmond Local Area Command, the man has been charged with assault and indecent exposure and will appear before Lismore Local Court on June 6.