Teen punched man in back of the head during pub fight

A Sydney magistrate has told a 19-year-old man who coward punched another man in a car park brawl that the community ‘is sick of people who get drunk and think it’s okay to fight.’

Zac Vassallo (right) punched a man in the back of the head at the Gregory Hills Hotel.

• Dozens of cars parked in at Leumeah Station
• Ice addict jailed for theft and pulling knife on worker

A magistrate has told a 19-year-old man who coward punched another man in a car park brawl that the community “is sick of people who get drunk and think it’s okay to fight.”

Zac Vassallo, of Mt Annan, was involved in a fight at Gregory Hills Hotel along with several other people on December 16 last year.

After an initial scuffle between two groups of people inside the pub, where Vassallo claimed he was punched in the eye and suffered an injury, the fight moved into the car park where one of Vassallo’s friends and another man were throwing punches at each other.

Vassallo pleaded guilty to affray in Picton Local Court on Tuesday.

Vassallo exited the pub and when seeing the altercation, tore his shirt off and threw it to the ground, an act described by Picton Local Court Magistrate Ian Cheetham as an attempt “to express some sort of bravado”.

He then ran towards the man fighting his friend and punched him in the back of the head, causing him to fall to the ground.

His friend then punched the man numerous times while he was on the ground and Vassallo began fighting another man.

The fight occurred at the Gregory Hills Hotel.

Vassallo was scolded for his behaviour by Mr Cheetham in Picton Court on Tuesday.

“People in the community are tired of people who drink too much who then want to go and punch someone else,” he said.

Police later obtained CCTV footage of the incident and tracked down Vassallo after a public appeal using the Camden Police Facebook page.

IN OTHER NEWS

He told police he could not recall what happened after walking outside due to the earlier injury sustained inside the pub.

Vassallo pleaded guilty to affray and was sentenced to a 16-month community corrections order. He is also not allowed to enter the Gregory Hills Hotel during that period.