How a Brisbane dad took his son to footy and ended up looking like this
Three men have been charged after a parent at a junior rugby league game was left with serious facial injuries during a brawl at a Queensland sports ground.
Two men, aged 36 and 19, were due to appear in court on Wednesday on assault charges relating to the incident at Wynnum, southeast of Brisbane on Sunday.
But after another arrest and a fourth person taken in for questioning, prosecutors asked for the matter to be delayed.
It is expected four men will appear in Wynnum Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Police called to the sports ground about 11.30am on Sunday found Josh Jones, 35, with serious facial injuries and a 59-year-old woman hurt from being knocked over on grandstand stairs.
Initial investigations suggested the first assault was āunprovokedā, police said earlier in a statement.
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Jones tried to āremove himself from the confrontation by walking onto the sports groundā but the altercation continued, with more people becoming involved.
Jonesā father Ricki Jones said he was near the goal posts when he heard people behind his son on the grandstand getting increasingly rowdy.
āI saw a big guy that was screaming got up and went and sat with Josh,ā he told reporters outside court.
āAt first I thought, āMan, heās made a friendā and then all of a sudden I saw a punch.ā
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The altercation had moved off the grandstand onto the field by the time Ricki Jones got to his son.
He said his own shirt was ripped off and he was punched in the head.
āIt was mayhem,ā he added.
Ricki Jones says he was kneeling next to his son as he gained consciousness.
āThe first thing he said to me was, āDad, the kids donāt have to see thisā,ā the father said.
āIt just broke my heart.ā
Ricki Jones denied it was a āparentsā brawlā, saying all his son wanted to do āwas get awayā.
He said Josh had multiple fractures and was at home waiting for swelling to subside before any surgery.
A crowdfunding campaign set up to raise money to take the āimmediate financial pressure off this family while they heal physically and emotionallyā had raised more than $11,500 on Wednesday afternoon.
Police said previously they were working through āa large amount of statements and footage to determine the circumstances of the assaultā.
āWe are looking at multiple people who were involved in the altercation,ā Detective Inspector Stephen Hollands said in a statement.
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