AFL star Noah Balta has been spared jail after he assaulted a man, but has been hit with an evening curfew that could affect his ability to play night matches.
The Richmond defender has been sentenced to an 18-month Community Corrections Order with a 10pm curfew for three months in the Albury Local Court this morning.
The 25-year-old was spared jail time for his assault of a man in December, but the Community Corrections Order includes a curfew, which means he must be home between 10pm and 6am until July, a $3000 fine, and an alcohol ban for the entire 18 months.
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The premiership defender was sentenced with a criminal conviction and has also paid the victim $45,000 in compensation, the court was told.
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment in NSW.
Balta last month pleaded guilty to repeatedly punching Thomas Washbrook, 27, outside the Mulwala Water Ski Club, in the NSW Riverina, on December 30.
Washbrook was waiting for a courtesy bus at the club when he tried to intervene in an altercation between another man and Balta’s younger brother Oskar.
The court was told Balta saw Washbrook touch his brother on the shoulder and felt a need to defend him.
CCTV footage shown to the court showed Balta shoulder charge the victim before punching him several times in the head.
Prosecutor Jason Tozer told the Corowa Local Court “sheer luck” saved the 27-year-old victim from death.
“Your Honour can see he becomes fully airborne and travels a metre or a metre-and-a-half,” Tozer said told the court.
“It is only sheer luck that his head did not make contact with that concrete.”
Balta turned himself in to police two days later on New Year’s Day.
Balta’s defence admitted the incident was serious but argued the assault was at the higher end of a mid-level offence.
The prosecution argued the attack met the threshold of a high-level offence.
Character references for the AFL star described Balta as “a kind, caring gentle giant,” defence lawyer Belinda Franjic said.
“It’s quite clear this offence is completely and utterly out of character for Mr Balta,” she told the court last month.
In sentencing Balta today, Magistrate Melissa Humphreys said the attack was at the higher end of the medium threshold and disagreed there was a risk of death beyond a reasonable doubt.
Balta had been on a pub crawl from 1.30pm on the day of the assault.
Balta missed the opening rounds of the season due to suspension but returned for Richmond’s upset win over the Gold Coast Suns on the weekend.
