Man records blood alcohol level of 0.48 after Albany alcohol-fuelled assault

A 32-year-old man left unconscious after an assault outside an Albany bakery in January had a blood alcohol reading of 0.48. Magistrate Raelene Johnston told Albany Magistrate’s Court last Thursday she knew of alcohol-related deaths with readings lower than that. The court was told the extreme reading had come from the assault victim’s medical report. Defence counsel Janie Gibbs was representing the offender, 61-year-old Peter Wayne Rankins, when she relayed the reading, describing it as the highest she had ever seen. Prosecuting sergeant Alan Dean said at about 1:20pm on January 14, Rankins struck his victim about 15 times with “glancing blows” to the head after the victim had hit him in the groin. Rankins then attacked his victim while he was on the ground, kicking him to the leg, punching him in the face and kicking him again to what “appeared” to be the head, according to Sgt Dean. The younger victim received bruising from the assault, which was captured on CCTV outside the Albany French Hot Bread bakery on Albany Highway. The court was told the men were both “very intoxicated” at the time of the assault. Ms Gibbs said Rankins knew the victim and had “shook” him to wake him up so he could avoid coming to the attention of Albany Plaza security guards. Rankins was hit in the groin while shaking his victim. Ms Gibbs said her client knew his victim was homeless at the time and had even offered him a place to stay before the assault. He was handed an eight-month community-based order, including 60 hours of community work, after pleading guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm. Ms Johnston told Rankins he would be facing a term of imprisonment if he had previous violent criminal offences on his record. She said she had also taken into account his “glowing” personal references. Before charges had been laid in January, Albany police Sergeant Greg Webb told the Advertiser the victim had no memory of the assault.