Nathanael Mazo: Meadowbank man pleads guilty to assault at Fitness First

The jokes and antics of a regular gym-goer became too much for a Fitness First employee who decided enough was enough and rammed the cheeky client, causing him to fall backwards into a Christmas tree.

Nathanael Mazo received a 12-month conditional release order without conviction at Burwood Local Court. ​

The antics of a regular gymgoer became too much for one Fitness First employee who snapped in the days before Christmas, ramming the trouble maker into a Christmas tree.

Nathanael Mazo, 29, appeared at Burwood Local Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to one count of common assault.

Documents tendered to court reveal how William Norinh, the cheeky Fitness First gym goer, managed to get under Mazo’s skin in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

“The victim regularly attended the gym late at night close to closing time and joked around with (Mazo) by leaving his weights on the ground and saying to the accused things like ‘Are you going to pick those up’,” police facts state.

On December 18, 2022, Mr Norinh entered the gym about 4:40pm — just as Mazo was getting ready to leave his work, a court heard.

Nathanael Mazo leaving Burwood Local.

According to police facts, Mazo asked Norinh if he would leave the gym on time.

“Nah, I’m going to stay late and make you stay late,” Mr Norinh said.

Mazo then responded: “Don’t be disrespectful. I don’t get paid for that.”

Nathanael Mazo.

The court heard Mr Norinh replied: “You’re gonna have to make me leave.”

At this point Mazo turned to Norinh and “ran towards him in an aggressive manner”

“(Mazo) struck the victim in his left shoulder with his right shoulder, causing him to fall backwards into a Christmas tree that was behind him and onto the ground,” police facts state.

(Then Mazo) said something along the lines of, ‘You talk too much’ and walked away.”

On December 22, in a police interview, Mazo said he had committed the assault.

“He was disrespectful for about two weeks. I boiled over. I couldn’t control myself, I barged him’,” Mazo said, according to police facts.

In court, Mazo, who was representing himself, said he felt the client had been disrespectful to him.

But Magistrate Joy Boulos told Mazo violence should never be the answer.

“Violence is a abhorrent … and the community is just sick to death of these sorts of things,” Ms Boulos said.

However Ms Boulos told the court Mazo had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity and had excellent prospects of rehabilitation.

Mazo was not convicted of the offence and was instead placed on a 12 month conditional release order.