Rex Hunt in Byron Bay

BASHED: Hunts become hunted in Byron Bay
Mark Buttler and Jane Metlikovec

FOOTBALL and media identity Rex Hunt has vowed to use the courts to get even after being bashed by a gang of 15 teenage thugs.
Hunt and son Matthew were victims of a brutal anti-tourist street attack at Byron Bay on the New South Wales north coast. The gang told them visitors were not welcome, then attacked the pair in front of Hunt’s wife, Lynne, and Matthew’s girlfriend, Jodie Petrusov. The cut and bruised Hunt, a former policeman, said he was horrified to see members of the gang kicking Matthew’s head as he lay on the ground.

“I thought, they are going to kill my son. It was lethal kicks to the forehead,” Hunt told the Herald Sun. “It was like animals on the nature channel on Foxtel.” After jumping in to help his son, blows were rained on Hunt and his scalp was slashed with what he believes might have been a piece of glass. “It was a calculated, random attack. Everyone knew their part,” he said. “The frightening thing is, the leader was 14.”

The Hunts and Ms Petrusov, in town for a wedding, had just left a hotel after a brief drink when they were approached by the group. Mrs Hunt said the group were not ferals, and launched Friday night’s attack after being told they should be at home. “They were well-dressed, good-looking young boys. They said, `we don’t like tourists’. “They kicked the living tripe out of Matthew. “He could have lost an eye. They could have broken his jaw.

“They didn’t know who Rex was. When they found out, they laughed.” Renowned fisherman Hunt said he eyeballed one of the teens when the bashing was over. “I said, `I’ll never forget you, Moptop’. “He said, `we asked you to leave nicely’.”

Hunt said he was grateful for the Fat Club diet and exercise program he went on with 3AW colleagues last year. “Had I not lost that 20kg, I would have been gone,” he said. Hunt said police told him there was nothing they could do because of the offenders’ age, and no complaint has been filed. Hunt said he would visit his solicitor on Wednesday to take legal action against the boys’ parents. “Even if you live in a tent, I’ll take your tent off you,” Hunt said. “I want to do this for all the families being run out of this area. “You’d expect kids like that to be at home being supervised.”

Ms Petrusov said at least 15 youths armed with bottles and skateboards were involved. “I heard them say: `You tourists should f— off’,” Ms Petrusov said. “Then they said: `We’ll show you what we do with tourists’, and I turned around and saw Matt on the ground getting kicked in the head.” Ms Petrusov said she panicked, took off her stilettos and ran to Matthew’s side. “By then there were about 15 of them around him and Rex, and I just started hitting them as hard as I could with my shoe,” she said. The bashings ended only when onlookers ran to help the pair. Ms Petrusov, a nurse, cleaned and bandaged a gash on Hunt’s forehead and took Matthew, 28, to hospital.

He has severe bruising to his back, bruises on his shoulder and a black eye. “The nurses at the hospital told me the bashings are happening all the time,” she said. Matthew lost his diamond earring, necklace, and some money. “It is just disgusting,” said Ms Petrusov, sporting bruising on her legs. “They are targeting tourists for the fun of it and it is so dangerous in Byron Bay right now.”

Posted: Tuesday, November 1st, 2005 Under: Street Scene. | Home |

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