A highly intoxicated man knocked himself and a woman out in one fell swoop inside a Wollongong pub in the early hours of New Year's Day, a court has heard.
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Matthew Raine Bates was asked to leave the Harp Hotel just after 1am after becoming involved in a fight with other patrons.
The 34-year-old was escorted to the northern exit by a security guard and taken outside the venue where the guard tried to speak to Bates about his "quarrelsome behaviour".
However, Bates shoved the guard aside and ran back inside the pub, pushing past another guard as he entered the building.
The victim, a 57-year-old woman from South Australia, was walking near the exit at the time. Bates ran at the woman and swung his left arm towards her, connecting his hand with her jaw.
The force of the collision caused the woman's drink to be flung into the air.
Bates then crash-tackled the woman to the ground. She hit her head on the concrete floor as she fell, knocking her unconscious.
Bates was also knocked out as he fell, and both he and the woman remained motionless for more than a minute.
Staff rendered First Aid to the pair and contacted emergency services.
Bates regained consciousness a short time later and immediately left the hotel with friends.
Police arrived and spoke to the security guards. Bates was discovered at a nearby taxi rank, with police noting he smelt strongly of alcohol, was slurring his words and appeared very unsteady on his feet.
He refused medical treatment and denied being involved in any altercation, despite CCTV footage confirming otherwise.
Meanwhile, the victim also declined treatment for a wound on the back of her head and was transported to her hotel by police.
She later went to hospital but the cut did not require stitches.
Bates was allowed to leave the scene that night but later issued with a notice to attend court on charges of affray and re-entering premises after being excluded.
Bates fronted Wollongong Local Court last Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to both charges.
His lawyer, Patrick Schmidt, sought a background report ahead of Bates' sentencing. The case was adjourned to April 24 to be finalised, with Bates ordered to attend Community Corrections staff within three days.
