AFL star Noah Balta has walked free from court and instead been handed a night-time curfew and alcohol ban as part of his punishment for assaulting a man outside a regional venue.
Richmond defender Balta was sentenced at Albury Local Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to repeatedly punching Thomas Washbrook, 27, outside the Mulwala Water Ski Club, in the NSW Riverina, on 30 December.
The 25-year-old was fined $3000, given an 18-month community corrections order and assigned a curfew, restricting him to his home address between 10pm and 6am until July.
He was expressionless as he walked through the media pack and into a nearby SUV more than two hours after his sentencing.
Balta did not offer a public statement and his legal team has sought an exemption from the curfew to allow him to play football.
On the night of the assault, Washbrook had been waiting for a courtesy bus outside the club when he tried to defuse an altercation between another man and Balta’s younger brother Oskar.
As Balta exited the venue, he saw Washbrook touch his brother in an attempt to calm him, but misinterpreted the gesture and rushed in to defend him, the court was told.
Court documents released last month detailed how the 2020 premiership player had been on a pub crawl from 1.30pm on the day of the assault.
CCTV footage shown to the court showed Balta shoulder charge the victim before punching him several times in the head.
Balta punched Washbrook several more times as his brother held the victim down.
The victim suffered a three-centimetre cut to his forehead, which bled during the attack and was later treated in hospital for a suspected rib fracture.
Balta turned himself in to police two days later on New Year’s Day.
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment in NSW.
Balta must abstain from alcohol for the duration of his community corrections order.
The premiership defender has also paid Washbrook $45,000 in compensation, the court was told.
In sentencing Balta, Magistrate Melissa Humphreys said the attack was at the higher end of the medium threshold but disagreed with the prosecution about the victim’s risk of death.
“While more serious harm was a possibility, I cannot be satisfied to a high standard beyond a reasonable doubt that death was highly probable,” she told the court.
Humphreys said Balta had admitted his actions were “misguided and disproportionate” and his judgment had been “severely marred by his level of intoxication”.
Sanctions, including a six-match ban including two pre-season games, had not adequately punished Balta for his actions, she said.
“Alcohol-fuelled violence must be denounced,” Humphreys said.
Balta’s age, lack of prior convictions and his expression of genuine remorse was taken into account in the sentence.
The footballer had also completed an anger management program and had a range of shining character references which described the incident as “out of character” for the “gentle giant”.
Balta will be banned from the Mulwala Water Ski Club for the duration of the community corrections order.