The family of a disabled Shortland man who was assaulted and had his jaw broken by a stranger is desperately appealing for help to catch the attacker.
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James, better known as Jim Johnson, acquired a brain injury after being struck by a car at the age of 12.
"He is quite obviously intellectually impaired," his sister Dharna Johnson said, describing her brother as a colourful character in the Shortland community.
Jim was making his regular stroll along Mawson Street to the bottleshop for an afternoon beer last Thursday, August 27 when he stopped to ask a man for a lift.
According to the family, the man told Jim he wasn't letting him in the car because of his bad teeth. Jim responded that his teeth had gone bad and he had a brain injury as a result of the car accident and told the man off with a few swear words before he kept walking.
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But the family said when Jim came out of the shop just after 5pm with his beers in hand, the man was waiting in his car on Shortland Road and then got out and punched Jim in the face. The family believe Jim was punched twice as his jaw was broken in two places.
"He's bashed a brain-injured person," his aunty Lynette said. "We could be going to James's funeral."
Jim started walking away, the family said, but the man followed and only left when a passerby approached.
Jim made his way home and his family first believed he just suffered a fat lip, but after he remained in pain for a few days they took him to hospital where the extent of his injury was realised. He has remained in hospital since waiting for surgery.
The issue the family now has is Jim's disability means his memory isn't great, so they've had a hard time obtaining details from him about the incident. But they are hoping someone saw what happened and can help police catch the attacker.
"We would really like to see this man held accountable for his actions," Dharna said. "This isn't the first incident where someone has treated him poorly and hurt him. Jimmy can come off a bit annoying, but it's not an okay way to respond.
"I don't like the idea that this man is out in the community. I don't like the idea that my brother now feels unsafe in his own daily life."
"It's horrible what's happened to him," Lynette said. "It's so unfair, it's sickening."
Police are investigating and issued an appeal for footage or witnesses in relation to the incident. They said the assault occurred sometime between 4:30pm and 5:30pm and the male offender is possibly Caucasian, bald, about 185cm and possibly driving a blue hatchback. It's believed the offender was possibly working in the nearby area.
Information should be passed on to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The incident has also resulted in Jim needing to have his teeth removed. Dharna has set up a GoFundMe page to get them replaced. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/new-teeth-for-jimmy
"His teeth were what gave this man ammunition to be nasty, so we're hoping he can have them fixed," Dharna said. This is a small silver lining in an otherwise crushing series of events."
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
