A building dispute allegedly resulted in a tradesman assaulting and driving his ute into a client in an incident that was apparently captured on security cameras.
Geoffrey Lloyd Stephen Calvert, a 33-year-old from Aranda, has been handed charges of assault, burglary and furious driving over the allegations.
His client messaged him to say he would be recording a meeting between them to discuss alleged construction defects to his home on Saturday afternoon (27 July), court documents say.
Calvert conducted a walk-through of the home to look at the claimed defects, then left but returned shortly afterwards.
He allegedly asked his client if he recorded “any of this”, to which the client replied that he had.
Calvert was apparently captured on a doorbell camera saying, “I’m probably going to punch you in the face right now, c-t”, before headbutting him in the face and starting to punch him.
The footage, which was played to the ACT Magistrates Court, records the pair in a scuffle, in which the client can be heard yelling.
Calvert also allegedly grabbed his client’s leg and dragged him through the door of his home, leaving scuff marks on the walls.
He walked outside to his Toyota Hilux ute, followed by the client, who said he would call the police.
It is alleged the tradie told his client he was going to hit him with his ute, then accelerated towards him, striking him in the knee with his car’s side bullbar.
The client went into his home and called police before going to a medical centre. He was allegedly left with cuts and bruising to his head, face and back, as well as pain to his knee and a sprained thumb.
Calvert was arrested the next day and claimed he had just driven off after the walk-through of his client’s home.
“The defendant was shown the video from [the client’s] doorbell camera. The defendant declined to make any comment,” police said in the court documents.
He applied for bail in the Magistrates Court on Monday (29 July), which was opposed by the prosecution.
His lawyer, Legal Aid’s Eliza Wilson, said he had a business of his own, which was failing, but he also worked full-time as a site manager.
He was concerned his mortgage payments would not be met if he was refused bail and was seeking help for his mental health, she said.
Prosecutor Mark Wadsworth alleged the significantly violent incident was seemingly unprovoked and occurred over a building dispute.
Magistrate Glenn Theakston said it appeared the allegations occurred in the context of a client who was dissatisfied with what had been produced, as well as a failing business and mental health issues.
He said it was “really unclear what triggered this” and described the allegations as “just bizarre”. They also suggested Calvert was in a state of crisis, he said.
He refused bail and remanded him in custody until 19 August. No pleas were entered.
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