Canadian tourist, 28, brutally bashed by five strangers in a Byron Bay park

By OLIVIA DAY, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 00:47, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 00:50, 9 June 2026 A young Canadian man was forced to flee into bushland after he was brutally assaulted by a group of strangers in Byron Bay.  The 28-year-old man was left with a fractured skull and brain bleed after five men he had been drinking with suddenly turned on him on Sunday night. He fled from a park on Jonson Street into bushland, where he flagged down a police car on nearby Butler Street about 11.40pm.  Officers provided the man with first aid before he was taken to Byron Bay Hospital.  He suffered a brain bleed, spinal injuries and a fractured skull. The tourist has since been transferred to Tweed Valley Hospital.  Police have appealed for information, urging anyone with dashcam or mobile phone footage to come forward. Investigators believe two men allegedly involved in the assault were aged 15 and 16. A young Canadian man was forced to flee into bushland after he was brutally assaulted by a group of strangers in Byron Bay (pictured, Byron's town centre) He fled from a park on Jonson Street into bushland, where he flagged down a police car on nearby Butler Street about 11.40pm (pictured, police in Byron Bay) No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.