Air France pilot Victor Sanchez kicks man in the back after being thrown out of Bondi’s Hotel Ravesis

A pilot, who was in Sydney to celebrate his birthday, kicked a man in the back during a violent scuffle with a group he had earlier clashed with on the dancefloor of a Bondi pub.

Air France pilot Victor Sanchez with his lawyer outside Waverley Local Court on Tuesday.

Birthday celebrations for a pilot from France’s flagship airline went south when he kicked a man in the back during an altercation after being thrown out of a popular Bondi drinking hole.

Air France pilot Victor Sanchez appeared at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday, one day after being arrested and charged with affray.

The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge with plans of resolving the case before heading back to France on Wednesday.

According to agreed facts, Sanchez was celebrating his birthday on January 21 with his brother and a friend, starting in Manly at 2pm before heading to Darling Harbour.

Sanchez had drunk about 10 standard drinks before arriving at his final destination at Hotel Ravesis in Bondi.

Air France pilot Victor Sanchez appeared in Waverley Local Court on Tuesday.

After moving to the upstairs dance floor about 11.30pm, agreed facts reveal Sanchez’s group and another group of males began to “push and shove each other”.

The two parties were both kicked out of the pub by security.

On leaving the venue, Sanchez yelled to the group on the opposite side of the road, saying words to the effect of “f**k you” and “I’m going to f**k you up”.

This prompted the three men to cross Hall St, Bondi and approach Sanchez and his brother, before shoving each other in the chest.

“This was captured on high quality CCTV footage,” agreed facts state.

After seeing what was happening, passers-by rushed to the confrontation before Sanchez was seen being “chased out of camera” by two males.

A short time later, Sanchez re-enters the altercation and kicks a man in the back.

Sanchez was again chased away and all parties were then separated by security at Hotel Ravesis.

Police arrived shortly after to find Sanchez slumped over on the footpath where he told officers the other group instigated the fight and he wasn’t an active participant.

In a statement later obtained by police, the Air France pilot said he could not remember anything at all.

The following day Sanchez gave detectives his version of events.

Waverley Court House. Picture by Damian Shaw

On January 30, police reviewed the CCTV “which showed [Sanchez] as an active participant in the altercation”.

He later attended Waverley police station and was arrested where in an interview he again said he didn’t have a “full recollection” of events but his actions “would have been for the protection of himself and his brother”.

In court on Tuesday, Sanchez’s lawyer said his client’s conduct was an aberration, describing the offence as the “highest level of stupidity”.

“He’s an Air France pilot … he’s responsible for the safety of people,” the lawyer said.

“He’s had a lot to drink … he is not used to alcohol, he’s come out on a short trip to see his brother.”

The lawyer told the court his client only drinks on special occasions and asked for leniency from Magistrate Ross Hudson.

In delivering a sentence, Magistrate Hudson noted the matter not having the “normal sequence” of an affray charge, but highlighted Sanchez’s swearing as the “trigger” in getting the other group’s attention.

“Any kick must be looked at as … serious,” Magistrate Hudson said.

“It’s not a kick that lands in terms of the head area.”

Ultimately Magistrate Hudson said the matter fell well below the mid-level of objective seriousness.

“His actions are minimal in terms of what other affrays may be or can be,” he said.

Sanchez was handed a 18 month conditional release order without conviction.