Joel Errington sentenced for racially insulting, punching Englishman at Bondi Icebergs

A court has heard a senseless act of thuggery took place at one of Sydney’s most popular tourism hotspots with a UK national punched after being called a racial slur.

Joel Errington attacked an Englishman at the Bondi Icebergs in 2023.

A thug fresh out of jail called an Englishman a racial slur before punching the victim’s face at the world-famous Bondi Icebergs.

The deplorable conduct came to light in Waverley Local Court on Wednesday where Elderslie man Joel Errington was sentenced to a 12-month intensive correction order after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and behaving in an offensive manner.

The court heard the vicious attack occurred in May, 2023, when Errington, now 34, approached the victim while he was filling a water bottle in the Bondi Icebergs change rooms.

“What’s up brother, are you from Brazil,” Errington said to the victim who the court heard was of South American appearance.

The victim said he was from England to which the offender said: “You are from England? I’m from Blackburn. What’s up n----r?”

Joel Errington was sentenced at Waverley Local Court on Thursday.

The slur was said within earshot of other pool patrons. Errington asked the stunned victim if they were “good” and he replied: “No, you just called me a n----r.”

The court heard Errington senselessly punched the victim in the cheek, causing him to stumble back and his face to swell.

The victim called triple-0 as Errington started walking away with a towel over his head with police arresting him at Marks Park.

In court on Wednesday, Magistrate Michael Barko said Errington “has no control” citing the offending occurred shortly after his parole period had expired on a six year and four month jail sentence for reckless wounding in company.

Joel Errington (left) outside Waverley Local Court with his lawyer Robert Kaufmann. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“His criminal history is a shocker,” Mr Barko said.

“People can’t even walk around the Bondi Icebergs, an iconic tourism location, without being smashed. The community is sick of this kind of violence.”

Regarding the slur, Mr Barko noted it was a term sometimes used between Afro-Americans before emphasising Errington is a “white person”.

“Walk around the Bronx in New York and call an Afro-American this and I can just imagine what would happen,” the magistrate said.

“It is an offensive term. It denigrates the victim and it denigrates the history of those people.”

Errington was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and pay a $330 fine for the slur.

The court heard the victim has returned to the UK in the time since the attack.