Matthew Pearce, 25, sentenced for glassing patron at Thirroul pub

Matthew John David Pearce, 25, left his victim Beau Morgan needing staples to his head after he struck him with a stubby of beer at Ryan's Hotel on December 18, 2021.

The Helensburgh man learnt his fate for the "spontaneous" attack at Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty to reckless wounding.

Tendered court documents state Pearce was at the venue for Christmas party celebrations while Mr Morgan was there with his brother and father. Mr Morgan left the sports lounge area to chat with a friend in the beer garden about 11pm.

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One of Pearce's colleagues, Liam Gadd-Hunter, was sitting at a nearby table and started swearing and raising his fist at a woman who was with Mr Morgan's friend.

This prompted Mr Morgan to intervene, which then saw Pearce get involved in an altercation between the men.

Mr Morgan grabbed Pearce's shirt before Pearce struck him four times in the face with a glass stubby bottle, which smashed under the victim's left cheekbone.

Mr Morgan stumbled backwards as Pearce was pulled away by security guards. Mr Morgan returned to his relatives and realised he was bleeding, disclosing to them he had been glassed.

Mr Morgan saw Pearce soon after and said: "Hey you c---. You glassed me". However security again intervened and pulled Pearce away.

Police and paramedics arrived shortly after, with the victim requiring 11 staples in his scalp and treatment for cuts under his left eye and mild swelling.

Pearce was arrested 10 months later after officers received a tip off about him as the offender. In a police interview, Pearce said his memory was "pretty vague" but that he remembers "getting involved with a male and female".

However his memory was jogged after being shown CCTV footage - admitting a man in a black shirt who jumped the hotel's fence after the incident looked like him.

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Defence lawyer Patrick Schmidt conceded jail was the only punishment option available for this type of offending however noted his client's actions were spontaneous.

"He wasn't involved in the fight before ... he tried to separate them," Mr Schmidt said.

Mr Schmidt acknowledged the swathe of case law surrounding glassing and referred to an incident in which singer and former X Factor judge Redfoo was glassed at a Sydney pub in 2014.

Pearce had been six beers at the time of the attack, which the magistrate labelled as "quite surprising" as "these are the actions of someone who is drunk".

However she noted Pearce's behaviour wasn't indicative of his character and accepted his remorse.

"This is a big mistake ... but the future is what's important," Magistrate Claire Girotto said.

"Your risk of re-offending is very low".

Pearce walked free from court after being handed a seven month intensive correction order. Neither Mr Gadd-Hunter or Mr Morgan were charged.

Read the latest Illawarra court and crime stories here.

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