TWO men who allegedly threw a couch seven metres onto a woman off a hotel balcony passed the injured woman on their way out of the hotel to another Tamworth pub before they were arrested, Tamworth Local Court heard today. Photo: Fairfax
TWO men who allegedly threw a couch seven metres onto a woman off a hotel balcony passed the injured woman on their way out of the hotel to another Tamworth pub before they were arrested, Tamworth Local Court heard today.
Luke Ledingham, 32, of Lennox Head, NSW and Joshua Timoteo, 27, of Varsity Lakes, Qld, both faced Tamworth Local Court today and were granted strict conditional bail to reappear again in April.
The matter was not something to be taken lightly, Magistrate Darryl Pearce said.
"The defendants have sought bail in relation to serious matters," he said.
Magistrate Pearce said the men made no attempt to help the victim, Tamworth woman Brooke Dewberry, 42, who took the brunt of the impact of the two-seater couch and is now in a stable condition in John Hunter Hospital suffering spinal injuries.
"The defendants came down the stairs past the victim and made no attempt to help the victim," Mr Pearce said.
Ledingham and Timoteo were arrested later that night at a different Tamworth hotel.
They had been in custody since the incident on Friday night at the Good Companions Hotel in Brisbane St.
No pleas were entered by the men's solicitor, Michael McMillan.
Ms Dewberry had been on the ground floor of the hotel with friends including country singer and firefighter Dan Murphy when the two-seater lounge was allegedly thrown over the first-floor railing.
She was taken to Tamworth hospital, where she was stabilised before being flown to John Hunter Hospital.
Ms Dewberry remains in a stable condition.
Ledingham and Timoteo were each charged with recklessly cause grievous bodily harm in company and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.