Bail denied in one-punch case

A Mt Barker man will remain in jail until he faces trial accused of fracturing the skull and jaw of an Albany man in an alleged one-punch attack outside Studio 146 nightclub last year.

Samuel Donald Ford, 24, will stand trial in June after being denied bail in Albany Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Mr Ford is set to defend allegations he punched Tobiah Pocklington in the early hours of July 29, having pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm last year.

In the part-heard bail application, Mr Ford’s lawyer Bruno Illari argued last week an alibi would strengthen the defence case to the point of “exceptional circumstances” for release on bail.

Mr Illari said his client was not at the scene when Mr Pocklington was punched at 3am on Stirling Terrace, with the alibi witness stating he was driving him to Mt Barker between 2am and 2.30am. The court heard CCTV footage showed a hooded man getting out of a silver car and striking Mr Pocklington, knocking him to the ground.

The man then returned to the car and left the scene.

Mr Pocklington suffered a fractured skull, hairline fractures around his eye sockets, damage to his teeth and a fractured jaw requiring a steel plate and screws, the court had previously heard.

Prosecuting Sergeant Alan Dean said Mr Ford was identified as the alleged attacker after police stopped the same car earlier in the night.

He said neither officer who stopped the car earlier in the night knew Mr Ford but they identified him from a digiboard once the investigation began.

Delivering her bail verdict, Magistrate Raelene Johnston said there were no exceptional circumstances to warrant Mr Ford’s release on bail.

Ms Johnston said she was not convinced by the defence assertion that the prosecution case was “weak”.