A Figtree bricklayer has narrowly avoided prison time for his second alcohol-fuelled pub assault, in which he coward punched a work colleague after a night out "on the piss".
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Callan Peachey was at the Hotel Illawarra with work friends celebrating Christmas on the evening of December 22 when he got into an altercation with an unknown person inside the pub, resulting in all of the patrons in the work party being kicked out of the venue.
Soon after leaving, Peachey was standing with another work colleague on the southern side of Market Street when he got into an argument with the victim.
Peachey then "bent down and grabbed hold of the victim by his legs". The pair briefly wrestled and the victim fell to the ground.
He threw punches at Peachey in self defence before the duo were restrained.
Police arrived and spoke with all parties, who said they didn't need police as they were all work friends being "idiots on the piss".
A short time later, Peachey walked up to the victim and punched him to the left side of his face.
The victim fell to the ground from the force of the blow and took about 30 seconds to recover and get to his feet. Peachey was arrested and charged with affray.
He pleaded guilty to the charge in Wollongong Local Court this week, at which time it was revealed he was already serving an 18-month community corrections order over another alcohol-fuelled assault inside the Harp Hotel three months earlier.
In that incident, Peachey elbowed a man to the left side of his face on the dance floor, knocking him out. The victim was taken to hospital with fractures to his eye socket and nose.
Magistrate Jillian Kiely spared Peachey a full-time jail sentence on account of his limited criminal record and the steps he'd taken to rehabilitate himself.
"He's written a letter of apology and there's some evidence he's undertaking concrete steps to address his obvious problem with alcohol," she said.
"His partner has written a letter saying he's otherwise of good character and she considers this out of character.
"If it wasn't for those steps he's taken, he'd be going to the cells today."
She sentenced Peachey to a 15-month, community-based intensive corrections order. As part of the order, Peachey must abstain from alcohol and complete 100 hours of unpaid community service work.
