Qld man denied appeal over machete rampage

A Queensland court has rejected the appeal of a man who went on a drunken rampage with a machete after a New Year's Eve party.

John Demosthenes Ma'afu, 31, was sentenced to seven years in jail over the 2013 incident, which began when he drunkenly slapped a 14-year-old child at a party before catching a taxi home at 4am.

Upon realising he had left his wallet behind and being informed it would cost him another $20 each way to go back, Ma'afu punched the cab driver and got a machete from his house as the taxi sped off.

Ma'afu was heard yelling and swearing with the weapon as he roamed the streets, and a neighbour who confronted him suffered deep cuts to his hands and shoulder.

Ma'afu told police he could not remember much about the party, nor the machete attack, because he was "pretty drunk" and also denied slapping the child.

He pleaded guilty to assault, assault occasioning bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.

In references submitted to court, he was described as a loving husband and father-of-two who was religious and whose rampage was out of character.

A psychologist suggested a head injury suffered prior to the incident or the unaccustomed consumption of spirits were potential triggers for the explosive anger.

"Whatever might have been the explanation for the applicant's intentional violence on the night in question, it had a serious impact on at least two of his victims," Court of Appeal Justice John Bond said in a written judgment published on Tuesday.

Ma'afu represented himself in appealing his sentence on the grounds it was manifestly excessive.

The Court of Appeal found there was no basis to infer the original judge made an error of principle, despite the defendant's lack of any relevant criminal history and the fact he was "a good citizen and family man with two children".