Footballer Dakota James Bannister pleads guilty to 2019 Bakers Lane assault

Dakota James Bannister, 24, of Newnham, pleaded guilty to striking a security guard at the Bakers Lane nightclub at 2.05am on December 21, 2019.

However, he maintained a plea of not guilty to striking Christopher Hughes and William Forrest between 2.30am and 3am on the same morning in George Street.

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Police prosecutor Matt Hills said security guard William Kennewell was struck to the face by Mr Bannister causing him to lose consciousness.

The incident occurred sometime after a man was asked to leave for inappropriate behaviour.

The cases were first heard on December 1 last year but faced a delay because of the unavailability of witnesses.

Defence counsel Jessica Stewart said identification was the major issue in the cases.

She said that there was a risk of displacement effect because some of the witnesses had later looked up Mr Bannister's profile on Facebook.

"All witnesses accept that they had been drinking," she said.

Mr Hills submitted to Magistrate Sharon Cure that the witnesses were creditable and reliable although admitting intoxication.

One witness Kurt Laycock identified Mr Bannister as a person he had seen playing football for North Launceston.

"He said he had a face to face interaction with Mr Bannister in town before," he said.

At the hearing, Hayden Reynolds gave evidence that a group of his friends were walking down George Street when two men came towards them. He said one of the men had hip and shouldered him "quite aggressively".

He said a friend, Christopher Hughes, had stepped between himself and Mr Bannister after he asked: "what was that for?". He said Mr Hughes was punched by the aggressor who he now believed to be Mr Bannister.

"I ended up on the ground hitting my elbow as I went and as I got up off the ground I heard quite a loud thud," he said.

Mr Reynolds said he had seen his friend William Forrest lying on the pavement. "He looked dead basically," he said. "He was unconscious and there was a pool of blood around his head and he was making a loud groaning noise." He said Mr Forrest came to after a minute or two.

Mr Hughes gave evidence that he felt a hit in the mouth as he stepped in between a big bloke and Mr Reynolds. "I felt the tooth snapped in half," he said.

Mr Hughes said he heard someone yell "Come on Dakota, it's not worth it".

He said he used his shirt to stem the blood flowing from Mr Forrest.

He said dentistry had cost him $7000 and Ms Cure suggested he might be able to claim victims of crime compensation.

While they waited for an ambulance another man in the group told him: "That's Dakota Bannister".

Mr Forrest said that he woke up on the footpath. He said the whole week was wiped from his memory and that he had been off work for six weeks.

Mr Hills submitted photographs which showed Mr Forrest with two black eyes, a chipped tooth and a split on the back of his head.

Ms Cure said she would have to listen to the evidence again because of the elapse of time.

She set the case down for decision on June 18 at 2.15pm.

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