Overview

• A 52-year-old man sustained broken vertebrae when a Saturday refund dispute over a Facebook Marketplace car sale escalated into an attack that saw him thrown from his Stapylton home’s first-floor verandah and struck with broken balustrade.
• The victim remains in stable condition at Princess Alexandra Hospital as investigators await his account of the incident.
• Queensland Police have identified three alleged assailants but have not yet effected any arrests in the ongoing inquiry.
• Detectives are canvassing CCTV footage to trace how the suspects travelled to the property on northern Gold Coast.
• Superintendent Brett Jackson warned that consumer guarantees do not cover private sales and advised meeting in public with a companion to reduce risks during peer-to-peer transactions.