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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Hannah Neale

Bikie avoids time behind bars after celebration turns violent

A celebration ended in injury when a bikie struck his good friend during an argument, causing him to be hospitalised for three days.

"Bad things can happen between friends when people drink to excess," Justice Verity McWilliam said in a judgment published on Tuesday.

Shane Christopher Houghton, 30, previously pleaded guilty to assault recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm.

Shane Houghton leaves court on a previous occasion. Picture by Blake Foden

Earlier this month, Houghton faced the ACT Supreme Court where he was sentenced to more than 11 months of jail, to be suspended upon entering into an 18-month good behaviour order.

The court previously heard Houghton was a member of the Comanchero bikie gang.

In March, Justice McWilliam referred the bikie to participate in restorative justice.

"Even if the victim does not want to hear soppy apologies from an old friend, the victim may be prepared to allow his friend to at least communicate his regret formally and in a private setting, for what was on any view a very serious injury, however the injury came to pass," the judge said.

Agreed facts of the case state that in December 2021 Houghton and the victim "consumed a significant amount of alcohol and illicit substances".

They had been good friends for several years and were marking "a celebration of some sorts".

However, this changed when about 2.30am a physical argument broke out.

"The offender has then struck the victim to the upper body area causing him to fall to the ground," the judgment states.

"In the course of hitting the ground, [the victim] suffered an injury to his left arm that started bleeding immediately."

Before Houghton fled the scene, the victim held up his injured arm "asking him to look at it, in less than polite terms".

The victim was hospitalised for three days, suffering a 4cm long "incised wound" which required surgery and left a small scar.

Houghton had been previously accused of striking the victim with "an object", but this allegation was not present in what Justice McWilliam described as "the carefully crafted language of the agreed facts".

In 2010, Houghton approached a person who had been attacked by two men on his way home and was unable to escape in time.

Houghton then struck the victim's face repeatedly causing a cut to his cheek.

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