James Bryan Heard behind bars for brutal glassing attack on unsuspecting victim

A drunken South West man has been jailed after brutally glassing a stranger with a wine bottle at the Busselton Jetty and cutting his head open so badly police said it reached his skull.

James Bryan Heard, 28, was sentenced to prison for 12 months in Busselton Magistrates Court last Tuesday after a the horrific attack earlier this year.

At 9:30pm on February 22, Heard was walking along Busselton Jetty drinking a bottle of white wine when he walked past his victim who acknowledged him with a “hello”.

About half an hour later, the man was on his way back down the jetty with the now empty wine bottle when he smashed it over the right of the victim’s head causing a deep laceration and gushing blood.

Witnesses to the attack were able to chase down the man and detain him until police arrived at the scene.

The victim was taken to Busselton Health Campus for treatment, with police informing the court the cuts to his head were so deep they reached down to the man’s skull.

Heard was taken to Bunbury Regional Hospital for assessment but was de-arrested for medical purposes before being later found, arrested and interviewed by Bunbury police in which he admitted to drinking the wine but gave no further comment on the incident.

The attack came just hours after Heard had appeared in court for a previous alcohol-related incident in which he assaulted an officer in October last year but was put on bail in hope to address his habits.

It was submitted to the court Heard first began drinking at the age of 12, but has decreased his drinking habits “90 per cent” since the offending, describing it as an “out of body experience”.

Despite the submission, Magistrate Benjamin Tyers said the man’s presentencing reports gave “limited insight” into his efforts to fix his drinking habits and was “positively satisfied” it would be inappropriate to suspended the term.

“It’s very concerning this occurred when you were given a chance to fix your life and assist in anything like this happening again . . . and it’s happened straight away,” he said.

“Put simply, you’ve not done enough Mr Heard . . . you are, in my view, a danger to yourself and the community.”

The man had pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding attack and a further count of breach of bail.