Man accused of ‘cowardly’ New Year attack seeks bail

A young man who allegedly threw a “coward punch” that left a victim comatose and bleeding in the early hours of New Year’s Day has been denied bail.

Jairlan Victor Bruce Simpson, 20, applied for bail in Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday over his alleged attack on a 44-year-old man in a Gold Coast shopping centre car park at 4.25am on January 1.

Simpson had been waiting at Pacific Fair for an Uber ride home after celebrating New Year’s Eve when he encountered the alleged victim, Justice Paul Freeburn heard.

“The [alleged victim] approached his girlfriend and auntie, and made some derogatory comments to them and then left for the bus shelter,” defence barrister John Cook said.

“[Simpson] follows and there is a short conversation of sorts. The [alleged victim] goes to leave and is then struck from behind.”

Cook said Simpson was accused of serious offending but had no criminal record and an offer of employment as a plumbing apprentice if granted bail.

“It’s against a background of some provocation. It’s not a defence to the charge of grievous bodily harm. It was a gross overreaction,” he said.

Simpson was also charged with attempted robbery for allegedly going through the victim’s pockets.

Freeburn was played vision from CCTV cameras in the car park that showed Simpson riding an e-bike up to the alleged victim as he was sitting at a bus stop.

The video allegedly shows Simpson walking up behind the man and punching his head as he walks on the road in front of the bus shelter.

The alleged victim falls face-down to the ground and starts bleeding from the head.

Simpson is allegedly seen on video returning to the man, rolling him over and holding his arms to shake him, causing his head to nod and roll lifelessly, before being left face-up in a pool of blood.

The man was discovered by other people about 30 minutes later.

He was taken to hospital and placed in an induced coma for a time, Freeburn heard.

Crown prosecutor Dan Cuschieri said Simpson’s offending could only be described as “cowardly and callous with no regard for the victim”.

Witnesses said Simpson appeared calm after the alleged attack and told them the man was “sleeping”.

“He has done an act so horrendous but he is cool, calm and collected,” Cuschieri said.

“He only rode back to check if something more disastrous had happened. He displayed no attempt to seek help.”

Simpson was on bail in NSW at the time, having been charged with an assault with bodily harm in June 2025.

Freeburn refused Simpson bail, saying he was an unacceptable risk of committing offences or endangering community safety.

“It’s described as a one-punch incident or coward-punch incident,” Freeburn said.

“The [alleged victim] was walking away. He had his hands down and was unprotected.”

AAP