Court hears of schoolies coma

Alex de Vos
The victim of a Lorne schoolies bashing woke up in hospital a month after the attack, a Geelong court heard yesterday.
Jon Hucker, 21, from Mt Clear, near Ballarat, was allegedly assaulted outside Lorne Hotel in the early hours of November 28, 2006.
Mr Hucker appeared at Geelong Country Court yesterday for the trial of two men charged over the schoolies assault with recklessly causing series injury.
Geelong County Court heard that Mr Hucker had left the hotel to answer his mobile phone when he was bashed and fell heavily to the ground.
He was initially treated at Lorne but was transferred to The Alfred Hospital.
Mr Hucker told the court he remembered waking up in hospital a month later
“I was transferred to Ballarat and then went through six weeks of rehab,” he said.
Mr Hucker said he had been staying at the Mantra Resort in Lorne with a best friend at the time of the attack.
Mr Hucker told the court he had been drinking Carlton Draught in his room before entering the Lorne Hotel prior to the alleged assault.
“I was drinking that night but I didn’t go too hard,” he said.
“We started drinking at 5pm then went to the pub about 8pm. At the pub we met up with a few mates and I continued drinking beer.”
A witness to the incident, who was staying with Mr Hucker at the Mantra Resort, said he was also drinking “pretty lightly” on the night of the attack but admitted he had a “few more drinks than Jon”.
Daniel Mauric, from Ballarat, said Mr Hucker had consumed about five beers at the hotel and was in a “good mood”.
“I didn’t see him get into any trouble at the pub,” Mr Mauric said.
“I was inside when I heard that Jon had been injured so I went outside and saw him being treated by the ambulance.”
The trial was continuing when the Independent went to press yesterday afternoon.