A Sanctuary Point man involved in an assault in Nowra in June last year, which left a young man with a badly broken jaw, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
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Vinnie Italia, 27, pleaded guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and common assault.
It is understood the incident on June 16 could have been the result of rivalries between two outlaw motorcycle clubs.
Nowra Local Court heard the 22-year-old victim was caught in the middle of an incident in Kinghorne Street, Nowra on June 16 between his father, whose other son allegedly has links to the Rebels Motorcycle Club and Italia, who is a member of the Hells Angels, and another man.
The court heard the victim, who was new to the Shoalhaven area, and his father were at the Bridge Tavern in Nowra, when they were approached Italia and another man who the family knew.
They asked for contact details for the man’s other son.
The victim and his father refused and left soon after, going to the Australian Hotel.
There with some other family members, they were again approached by Italia and the other man, who became verbally abusive before being asked to leave by hotel staff.
Shortly after the victim received a phone call via Facebook from the other man asking if they wanted to fight and to meet them at a nearby kebab shop.
Fifteen minutes later the man and his son were on their way to get a kebab when they were approached by Italia and his accomplice near the Coles supermarket in Kinghorne Street.
The court heard the other man threw a half-eaten kebab at the father, before punching him in the jaw.
Police said the son intervened pushing the man away, with Italia punching the 22-year-old from behind, hitting him in the face.
The man fell to the footpath unconscious and was bleeding profusely from the mouth when other family members arrived.
The other man attempted to fight the father, who was “king hit” by Italia.
Although staggering the father didn’t fall over.
CCTV footage captured the assault while witnesses told police of continued verbal threats.
CCTV from the Bridge and Australia hotels confirmed the victims’ stories.
Italia was arrested by police at the Nowra Court House a month later.
He also faced charged of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, destroying property and stalking following an incident at Sanctuary Point on March 17 last year, where he assaulted a woman.
Court papers stated during an argument Italia hit the woman in the face before pushing her to the ground where he kicked her.
The court heard he also punched the windscreen of the woman's car several times before getting a baseball bat and striking the body of the vehicle a number of times before snapping the key off in the ignition.
He then allegedly grabbed a metal bar from a jack and smashed a plastic visor over the window and a rear vision mirror.
Magistrate Gabriel Fleming sentenced Italia to three and a half years’ jail with a non-parole period of two years.
He will be eligible for parole on July 11, 2018.
