Comedian sentenced to 6 weeks in jail for smashing glass in face of audience member

American comedian Gary Jackson has been sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment for smashing a pint glass in the face of an audience member during an open mic event in March.

The 42-year-old former data scientist was convicted of wounding entertainment agent Ravi Kanasamoorthe two weeks ago at Eastern Magistrates’ Court. 

Judge Jason Wan rejected the defendant’s claims that he had only intended to “splash beer” on Kanasamoorthe’s face to calm him down.

However, Wan noted that the assault appeared to have been committed “out of impulse”, and that Jackson had a good record of employment and charity work.

He originally handed down a nine-week sentence, which was reduced due to Jackson paying Kanasamoorthe HKD10,000 in compensation.

The incident took place during a weekly comedy open mic night at the Hong Kong Brew House in Lan Kwai Fong on March 16. Jackson told HKFP that Kanasamoorthe had criticised a joke about finding pregnant women attractive.

A witness, who spoke to Coconuts Hong Kong on the condition of anonymity, said in March that the dispute erupted after Kanasamoorthe objected to a joke that Jackson had told, saying that it was racist.

“It was a joke about how Chinese people eat everything […] and ends with ‘Hell, Chinese people would eat their own babies’,” the witness recalled.

Following a heated exchange, the comedian reportedly shouted, “I went to an all black school, don’t ever call me racist!” and left the stage. The 42-year-old then grabbed a pint glass from a nearby table, which he smashed into Kanasamoorthe’s face.

The witness told Coconuts that “blood got everywhere”, including all over the face and glasses of another audience member. Kanasamoorthe received over 40 stitches for cuts to his face, and also suffered a split lip from the incident. He is still receiving treatment for the injuries, eight months later.

Warning: graphic image

Photos: supplied

Jackson has since retired from comedy, telling HKFP that he was in “self-exile”, “not because [he] was asked”.

Garron Chiu, a regular presence on the Hong Kong comedy scene, told Coconuts Hong Kong in March that Jackson had been banned from all Comedy HK events. Chiu emphasised that the incident was a “one-off moment of insanity” from somebody who “isn’t representative of the scene”. Jackson has reportedly been banned from entering the Hong Kong Brew House.

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