Man jailed for South Coast bashing that put concerned passerby in a coma

One of the man's attackers, Nathan Young, has now faced punishment for his crime, sentenced in the District Court after pleading guilty to reckless grievous bodily harm in company.

Judge William Fitzsimmons jailed Young for two and a half years with a non-parole period of 18 months for the brutal attack on September 11, 2022.

On that evening, the victim was walking along the front lawn of the Ulladulla Civic Centre when he heard the couple arguing and saw Young grab his then-partner.

When the man intervened out of concern for the woman and asked about her welfare, the couple turned on him.

Young said something like, "What do you think you're fucking police officer or something?" while the woman swung something at the man and hit him.

She continued to hit the victim to the head as Young punched him in the face, causing him to fall.

As the man fell in and out of consciousness, he felt repeated blows to his body and believed his head was being stomped on and kicked.

After the attack the man suffered five seizures in the ambulance on the way to Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital, where he was placed in an induced coma, intubated and flown to St George Hospital in Kogarah.

He suffered multiple facial fractures, broken teeth, lip lacerations and a rotator cuff tear in his shoulder.

In the wake of the assault, the man experienced ongoing seizures, poor balance and coordination, reduced vision and headaches, as well as significant impacts on his mental health.

He has had to move house because of his new physical disabilities and is unlikely to drive again.

Judge William Fitzsimmons described the attack as involving a "very significant degree of violence".

Young's lawyer argued that his co-offender played a greater role in the assault and while Judge Fitzsimmons acknowledged she had inflicted the initial strike, he found both were equally culpable.

At the time of the assault, Young was on parole after spending time in jail for the crime of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The court heard he had experienced an impoverished childhood marred by violence which led to post-traumatic stress disorder, and he began self-medicating with illicit drugs at 13.

But Young denied using alcohol or any other substances at the time of this attack.

A forensic psychologist reported that Young was "more reactive" in situations where he perceived himself or a woman was unsafe, and Fitzsimmons accepted that Young's PTSD was linked to his offending.

He also accepted that Young's traumatic history reduced his moral culpability, but he said he still had to be held accountable and found there was no alternative but full-time imprisonment.

With time already served, Young will become eligible for parole at the end of April.