Jesse Cullen Nichols: Lavington tradie knocks out, punches punter who poked him

A Lavington pokies player knocked a man unconscious and hit him while he was down after the victim poked his forehead, a court has heard.

A Lavington tradie knocked a man unconscious and hit him while he was down after the victim poked his forehead, a court has heard.

Jesse Cullen Nichols, 30, was sentenced to a nine-month intensive corrections order in Albury Local Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to affray after knocking out another pokies player in a Lavington pub.

Nichols and his victim, who he did not know, were drinking separately at the Northside Hotel in Lavington on April 7 when both started gambling at 9pm.

Court documents state both had consumed alcohol, but Nichols had consumed a “considerable amount”.

The victim and accused were gaming with one vacant machine between them when the victim became disgruntled from losing money on his machine.

The victim approached Nichols who was seated at his machine and became verbally aggressive, calling him a ‘dog’.

Nichols got up and moved behind his chair as the victim moved closer to him, putting his drink on the bench and pointing his finger into the face of Nichols, hitting his temple.

Nichols punched the victim in the jaw causing him to go limp and fall onto a nearby chair before lying still on the ground.

Despite being knocked out, Nichols picked his victim up by his shirt and slammed him back down, then slapped him several times.

Nichols fled but was caught by police 15 minutes later at the Boomerang Hotel in Lavington, where he denied assaulting the victim.

Nichols was arrested but was so drunk he had to be placed into a time out.

Judge Sally McLaughlin said Nichols “completely lost control of (his) emotions” and became “overcome by adrenaline”.

Nichols was sentenced to a nine-month intensive corrections order and fined $1600.