Damian Smith, 39, who moved to Port Douglas from Tasmania two months ago, remains in an induced coma in Cairns Base Hospital after being found unconscious in Grant Street in the early hours of Friday morning.
Detective Sergeant and Officer In Charge at Mossman CIB, Trevor Perham, said that as of Monday, Mr Smith's condition was serious, but he was reluctant to call the incident an assault until investigations had been completed.
"They (witnesses) found him unconscious on the pavers in Grant Street. He was suffering from a head injury and was taken to Mossman Hospital in an ambulance and then on to Cairns where he's been in intensive care ever since.
"Numerous witnesses have been interviewed who were out in Macrossan Street that night, however, how Damian sustained his injury is yet to be determined.
"Nobody has been charged with assault, and detectives have no suspects. Although a number of people have been interviewed by police, there is no evidence to suggest that any particular person has inflicted the injuries," Detective Sergeant Perham said.
"At this stage I'm reluctant to call it (Mr Smith's case) an assault without establishing what has happened to the man. The injuries he sustained, it is possible that they have been inflicted accidentally or by some other means other than a deliberate attack on the man."
"His exact condition is unknown. He's got a fractured skull with a brain injury. Doctors can't say how bad that is, brain injuries you can fully recover from or you can die from, and anywhere in the middle.
Members of Mr Smith's family have flown from Tasmania to be with him at Cairns Base Hospital.
Detective Sergeant Perham admitted Grant Street has been the scene of numerous late night incidents. He added that CCTV cameras would help police in these types of investigations, and are proven to be effective in reducing crimes such as assault.
"The community has got together in the past and put a petition together to try and get cameras there (Grant Street) because it has been a hot spot for assaults.
"I will always support moves to put more cameras in public areas. From a criminal investigation point of view they're a very strong deterrent for violent crime and they're very good at keeping the community safe from that type of thing.
"It doesn't stop people from fighting, but what it does is enable us to bring the perpetrators to justice every time."
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As far as I am aware there were two police officers on duty last Thursday night, however they were called out to the highway where a tree had fallen across the road. While more officers would no doubt be welcomed, it's hard for the ones who are here to be in two places at once. That's why I think cameras would at least give them a chance to catch offenders, or perhaps even deter some.
We'll have more on this issue on Monday.
Mat
Drunk/drugged or violent people don’t stop to think about bashing others just because there are cameras, in most cases they would not even know the cameras are there. Cameras certainly will help in solving and incidents, but that’s already too late.
The issues need to be dealt with before these incidents occur, the operators of any establishments that supply alcohol in the PD town center need to take some responsibility.
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