A man accused of landing a coward punch on a Wollongong club-goer after the victim's girlfriend rejected his advances will protest his innocence, a court has heard.
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Police allege Troy Fornaciari summoned a helper and took off his T-shirt before smacking the unaware man to the head in a serious, unprovoked attack inside Fever Nightclub.
The bloodied victim left the club in an ambulance with permanent nerve damage and broken bones requiring multiple stabilising plates to be surgically inserted into his face.
Fornaciari, 31, was on parole for firearms offences when he visited the Atchison Street nightspot in the early hours of September 13, 2014, taking a seat alongside "associates" in the VIP area.
About 3.50am he allegedly began rubbing the leg of the victim's girlfriend until she told him: "Don't touch me".
Police claim CCTV footage captured on the night shows the large, muscularly built Fornaciari, a large gold chain around his neck, growing visibly aggressive at the rebuff.
He allegedly held up his fist and tapped it to summon a friend, then grabbed the victim hard around his upper arm and dragged him to his feet.
The victim, who had not witnessed any earlier exchange between his girlfriend and Fornaciari, is alleged to have followed Fornaciari and his friend to the toilet area in the mistaken belief the men must want his help.
Police claim Fornaciari then took off his shirt and "suddenly" punched the victim to the left side of his face, causing immediate pain and profuse bleeding.
The victim's girlfriend later told police she saw blood dripping from between the knuckles of Fornaciari's right hand in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
Fornaciari and his friend were ejected from the club along with Robert Nikolovski, an associate of the victim, who is accused of knocking Fornaciari unconscious in a retaliatory attack outside the club. Nikolovski's actions are the subject of separate court proceedings, which are ongoing.
Fornaciari departed in a car as police were arriving and a warrant was later issued for his arrest.
The victim received treatment at Wollongong Hospital and was transferred to Prince of Wales Hospital for specialist treatment from a plastic surgeon.
He received stitches to a large wound on his lip and suffered two broken teeth.
At Port Kembla Local Court on Thursday, Fornaciari's lawyer, John Gallagher, entered pleas of not guilty to charges of reckless grievous bodily harm in company and affray.
