Isaac pleaded guilty to burglary.
Judge Lindsay Moore said the brothers appeared to have Jekyll and Hyde personalities.
He could not reconcile either of their long lists of convictions with the glowing reports from their employers.
Defending, Doug Taffs asked that Leroy be spared prison due to his youth.
It would be of significant benefit to the community to keep this young man in full-time employment while on community detention. It's far better to have him working, for all of us, said Mr Taffs.
Leroy had lost the plot, attacking McLaughlan while he was lying in bed and unable to defend himself. But he had only hit McLaughlan with the plywood base of the drawers, not the hard edges.
Isaac had, to some extent, been roped in. To his credit he had stopped the situation becoming more serious by pulling his brother out of the room.
At the end of the day he was the peacemaker, said Mr Taffs.
Leroy and Isaac both exhibited their best qualities when at work.
They're two basically very good young men who've done some stupid things.
Judge Moore said the both brothers had a substantial history of causing trouble in the community. Neither had taken any notice of previous warning sentences from the court.
You two young fellows have been building up to this for a long time, he said.
By any account, it was a home invasion. They had gone to someone's house in the early hours of the morning and beaten them up in their own bedroom.
It was pure luck McLaughlan wasn't seriously injured.
I can't see how the proper maintenance of community standards can possibly be achieved without a sentence that sends a very strong deterrence to you and the community, said Judge Moore.
People should be able to sleep safely in their beds, he said.
