David Phillip Bryan Anderson handed fully suspended sentence for punching Muslim worshipper in face at Adelaide mosque

A MAN who accused an Islamic worshipper at an Adelaide mosque of being an “impostor Muslim” before punching him in the face has been spared jail for the “unprovoked attack”.

A MAN accused an Islamic worshipper at an Adelaide mosque of being an “impostor Muslim” because he did not want to speak about his religion before punching him in the face, a court has heard.

On Friday, Magistrate Paul Foley gave David Phillip Bryan Anderson, 35, a fully suspended seven-month and six-day jail sentence for the “unprovoked attack” against the worshipper on December 22 last year.

The court was told Anderson — a father of three — had been at a work function and drinking alcohol for nine hours before he came across a man at the mosque in Parkholme.

“The defendant approached him and started talking to him while he was standing under the outside veranda of the mosque,” the police prosecutor said.

“The defendant started talking to him about controversial topics, such as the US and Israeli politics which the victim did not feel comfortable speaking about.

“The defendant said, ‘you’re a Muslim, you should have an opinion — you’re an impostor Muslim’.”

She said Anderson got angry because the man would not express his political opinion before he punched his in the face, causing a deviated septum.

The mosque at Parkholme where Anderson assaulted a Muslin worshipper. Picture: Tait Schmaal.

The next day, Anderson saw the CCTV footage of the incident on the news and recognised himself as the perpetrator, despite having little memory of what happened.

“He denied it was racially motivated but he stated it was actually the opposite and he was frustrated that the victim did not appear to have sympathy for the Muslims in Israel,” she said.

“He was frustrated that the victim did not want to talk about what the defendant wanted to talk about.”

The victim did not provide a statement to the court.

Craig Caldicott, for Anderson, told the court his client was contrite and remorseful for what happened.

He said Anderson, who works as a cabinet maker, wanted to apologise in person to his victim, but the offer was declined.

“He’s 35 and should have known better,” he said.

David Anderson walking out of court of the Adelaide Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to assault. Picture: AAP/Matt Loxton

“He’s a good man and he made a stupid mistake in the lead up to Christmas.”

Mr Foley accepted that Anderson was remorseful.

“It was an entirely unprovoked attack on a person who was pursing his legitimate interests in the community,” he said.

“If I was satisfied that the incident was provoked by some form of racial hated directed toward the Muslim community, I would have regarded it as an even more serious offence than I do at the moment.

“But the material before me suggests more it was a drunken person wanting to engage in conversation with a person who wasn’t interested in a conversation and was consequently assaulted.”

Last month, Anderson pleaded guilty to punching the Islamic worshipper in the face with a single, closed-first blow at Parkholme on December 22 last year.

But he insisted he was drunk, not motivated by racism.

He claimed he had only wanted to discuss relations between the US, Israel and Islamic people when the incident, captured on CCTV, occurred.

Anderson declined to comment as he left court, except to say “I am not racist”.