While not unusual for the early hours of a Sunday morning, it was the frenzied movements and apparently agitated state of some of the men in the gathering that triggered alarm bells for the seasoned officers.

Their presence caused several people to scatter, and it was only then police saw the body of Julian Michael Payne lying unconscious and bloodied on the ground at the mall's entrance.

It would take more than a minute for the Fairy Meadow man to come around.

He later went to hospital for treatment while investigating police, keen to get to the bottom of what had happened that night, turned to the mall's security cameras for help. They soon discovered Payne was far from an innocent victim to the fracas, and had in fact been its instigator.

CCTV footage revealed Payne confronted a group of four males in the mall just before 3am on November 23 last year and, for unknown reasons, punched one of the men in the head.

The strike initiated a violent melee between Payne and two of the men in the group which lasted for several minutes. Payne was repeatedly punched and fell to his knees twice during the fight, and on the second occasion received a further kick to the head, sending him sprawling onto his back and knocking him out cold.

One of the men then stomped on Payne's head twice before running off.

Police arrived moments later and it is understood they captured at least one of his attackers that night.

The extent of Payne's injuries was not revealed by prosecutors.

Payne was charged with affray in January this year and pleaded guilty in court on Tuesday, where it was revealed the 21-year-old had been on parole for offences of violence at the time of the incident.

Magistrate Michael Stoddart adjourned the case until the last week of September for a sentencing options report to be prepared. Payne was released on bail in the meantime.