Two men who left an e-scooter driver blind in one eye after hurling an ‘arsenal of potatoes’ at bystanders in a cruel prank have been sentenced to prison
- Perth men convicted of blinding e-scooter driver
- The judge suspended two-thirds of their sentences
Two young men have been spared serving their full sentences in prison despite blinding an e-scooter driver by hitting him with a potato during a ‘dangerous’ prank.
Brandon John Nutu Micicoi and Trent Philip Green, both aged 20 at the time, seriously injured a man when they threw the ‘stony’ vegetable at him from the window of their car in Perth’s northern suburbs on May 20, 2022.
The 28-year-old rider suffered ‘catastrophic’ injuries and had to have his right eye surgically removed and replaced with a prosthetic.
He also broke his nose and arm when he fell off his e-scooter on West Coast Drive near Trigg Beach.
Perth District Court heard the men could be heard laughing on video footage they captured of the incident, which was retrieved from a mobile phone.
Trent Green and Brandon Micicoi (pictured above) pleaded guilty in court to charges of committing an act that endangered the safety of others and of causing grievous bodily harm
The pair received prison terms of 18 months and 16 months, but Green’s sentence (pictured above) was longer as he had another conviction for a similar crime
Two other pedestrians were similarly hit by the pair, but neither was seriously injured.
The court also heard the pair bought 12 pounds of potatoes to throw from their car before hitting the rider and buying more with the intention of repeating their antics again the next day.
In all, the two bought 70 pounds of potatoes to throw, which court judge Michael Gething described as “an arsenal.”
Green and Micicoi pleaded guilty in district court to charges of committing an act that endangered the safety of others and of causing grievous bodily harm.
Green received an 18-month prison sentence and Miciccoi received 16 months, but most of that time will be served on probation.
Judge Gething ordered both men to spend only six months behind bars, taking into account the men’s age and degree of immaturity.
Green’s sentence was two months longer because he was convicted again of a very similar crime.
On the same day he and Micicoi injured the e-scooter rider, he was convicted in his absence at Midland Magistrates Court for throwing an egg at a pedestrian from a moving car.
“He knew that throwing things out of the car window had criminal consequences,” Judge Gething noted.
The rider’s victim impact statement revealed that Green and Micicoi’s actions “changed his life forever.”
The victim was riding a rental scooter with a friend when Green and Micicoi in a passing vehicle hit him with a ‘stony’ potato (stock image)
A man, 28, had his eye surgically removed after being hit by a flying potato along West Coast Drive (pictured) in Perth
He lost the sight in his right eye, had constant headaches, and had lost a job he loved because of his injuries.
He also experienced fear in crowds since the incident and was in constant fear that his prosthetic eye would fall out.
Green’s lawyer, Kate Turtley-Chappel, said her client took his actions as a joke, but he realized their seriousness and underwent counseling.
Micicoi’s lawyer said her client also considered the potato-throwing a “childish prank” and did not expect the tragic outcome.
He had subsequently been fired from his job and was now socially withdrawn.