A MAN who punched another man in an unprovoked attack, leaving him briefly unconscious, has been spared prison.
Assistant Magistrate Adam Clarke told 37-year-old Ryan Andrew Finnegan that offences of this nature would normally merit a four-month jail sentence.
But he said that he was taking into consideration his guilty plea and the month he had already spent in custody in imposing 100 hours of community service instead.
The court was shown CCTV footage of the incident, in Minden Place on the night of 2 December, in which Finnegan approached the other man and punched him, knocking him to the ground.
Advocate Howard Tobias, prosecuting, said the victim had been unconscious for 15 seconds.
Advocate Chris Baglin, defending, said the attack had not been premeditated and Finnegan was considered at low risk of reconviction.
Announcing the sentence, the Assistant Magistrate told Finnegan: “I hope that we will not be seeing you again in these circumstances.”
