Former AFL footballer Liam Jurrah arrives at the Alice Springs court house for his assault trial. Picture: Justin Brierty Source: adelaidenow
FORMER AFL star Liam Jurrah's lawyer has claimed the delisted Melbourne player was singled out over a wild brawl between feuding families because of his status within the community.
Jurrah, 24, has denied he armed himself with a deadly weapon and bludgeoned his cousin during a brawl between two feuding family groups at the Little Sisters town camp, on the outskirts of Alice Springs, in March last year.
Jurrah, who was still living in Melbourne and a listed Demons player at the time, has pleaded not guilty in the Northern Territory Supreme Court to unlawfully causing serious harm to his cousin, Basil Jurrah.
Prosecutor Stephen Robson told the jury yesterday there had been ongoing ill-will between the groups leading up to the confrontation, in which Jurrah allegedly joined other men in attacking the group living at the camp.
Mr Robson said Jurrah had been involved in two bouts of fighting at the camp, the first when he allegedly struck a woman and a man in the head before fleeing when police were called.
Jurrah allegedly returned later, and with another man, Christopher Walker, chased Basil Jurrah to the rear of a house, where he was struck with weapons then repeatedly hit while on the ground.
Fallen AFL star Liam Jurrah has gone on trial in Alice Springs over a violent assault at a town camp
"The accused and Christopher Walker chased Basil Jurrah into the rear yard ... and used weapons to strike Basil Jurrah about the head and body," Mr Robson said.
The court heard Basil Jurrah suffered a fracture to the top of his skull, fractures to his eye socket and nose and four lacerations to his scalp.
Jurrah's lawyer, Jon Tippett, QC, told the jury witness accounts of his client's actions were unreliable because the incident happened at night and many were drunk.
"There were two groups of people and they don't like one another very much and there was one person in this court who stood head and shoulders above all of them," he said.
Mr Tippett said many of the witnesses bore a grudge towards Jurrah and his family and a way to exact revenge would be to "bring him down".
AFL footballer Liam Jurrah arrives the Alice Springs court house for the first day of his trial Picture: Justin Brierty
However, Mr Robson claimed Jurrah had lied to police the next day by telling them he was an innocent bystander.
Mr Robson said witnesses had given varying descriptions of the weapon allegedly carried by Jurrah, who was delisted by Melbourne last year and now lives in Adelaide.
"The Crown cannot say with precision the exact kind of weapon the accused used in the assault on Basil Jurrah ... but it is of the kind that was capable of inflicting the injuries that were sustained," Mr Robson said.
The trial, before Chief Justice Trevor Riley, is expected to run for six days.
AFL footballer Liam Jurrah prepares to enter the Alice Springs court house with lawyer John McBride Picture: Justin Brierty
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