A Brisbane salesman set to appear on the upcoming season of Love Island Australia has been sentenced after attacking two men during a drunken brawl at a karaoke bar on the Gold Coast.
Cooper William Benson pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrates Court to one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm, common assault, and driving a vehicle not fitted with a prescribed interlock.
According to The Gold Coast Bulletin, the court heard the incident took place on March 23 at Southport’s E Star Karaoke Bar, where Benson had been celebrating a friend’s birthday.
As Benson and a co-accused were leaving, a 29-year-old man hugging a 25-year-old friend touched the co-accused’s shoulder and neck.
Benson then approached and shoved the 29-year-old in the chest, forcing him backwards.
When the 25-year-old tried to calm things down, Benson suddenly punched the older man in the face, propelling him backwards into a karaoke display.
Brisbane salesman Cooper William Benson, (pictured) who is set to appear on the upcoming season of Love Island Australia, has been sentenced after attacking two men during a drunken brawl at a karaoke bar on the Gold Coast
The 23-year-old pleaded guilty in Southport Magistrates Court to one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm, common assault, and driving a vehicle not fitted with a prescribed interlock
He then launched another flurry of punches, striking both men in the head and sending one crashing into a desk.
CCTV footage played in court showed Benson and his co-accused confronting the pair before Benson began throwing punches.
The 29-year-old victim suffered a broken tooth along with cuts and bruising to his face and eyebrow before patrons stepped in and removed Benson from the bar.
Police launched an investigation after the incident was reported on April 23 but struggled to contact Benson.
An arrest warrant was issued, and the reality TV hopeful was eventually caught on May 1 when highway patrol officers pulled over his black Mercedes in Nerang.
Checks revealed Benson was supposed to have an interlock device fitted to his car until September 2027.
Defence lawyer Nick Crawford told the court his client had been overseas in New Zealand when police attempted to contact him, admitting the attack was a serious lapse in judgment.
‘It was a complete over-reaction, absolutely,’ Mr Crawford said.
According to The Gold Coast Bulletin, the court heard the incident took place on March 23 at Southport’s E Star Karaoke Bar, where Benson had been celebrating a friend’s birthday
He was ordered to pay his victims $1,750 and $250 in compensation, fined $300 for the driving offence, and banned from driving for three months
He told the court that Benson’s actions stemmed from his co-accused’s face being touched by the 29-year-old, saying the men exchanged words before the situation spiralled.
‘Certainly the whole thing could have ended at that time if my client had walked away,’ he said.
Mr Crawford added that Benson, who works in sales and charity, had begun an online anger management course and offered to compensate the victims.
Magistrate Kerry Magee slammed the attack as ‘extraordinarily improper,’ describing it as a ‘sustained assault.’
‘This is not a one or two or three punch assault,’ she said.
However, she noted Benson’s youth, clean record and good work ethic before releasing him on a 15-month probation order with no conviction recorded for the assaults.
He was ordered to pay his victims $1,750 and $250 in compensation, fined $300 for the driving offence, and banned from driving for three months.
The sentencing came just one day after Channel Nine announced Benson as one of the new contestants entering the villa this year.
His official show bio describes him as ‘super-fit’, ‘impossible not to notice’ and a ‘handy boxer’.
‘Cooper is not afraid to say what he thinks and call anyone out if he thinks they are wrong, and that will include his fellow male Islanders,’ the profile reads.
‘He is strong, stubborn, and has a fiery streak, but is also very loyal and ready to find love.’
Daily Mail has reached out to Channel Nine for comment.