Ricky Davis sentenced over wild Christmas party pub brawl at Ararat Hotel

A man was knocked unconscious and had to be flown to hospital following a wild brawl at the pub during a work Christmas party. The CCTV footage of the attack was described as “sickening.”

A man was flown to hospital after he was bashed unconscious at a work Christmas after-party in Ararat, a court heard. Picture: Stephen Harman

A drunk brute who bashed a man unconscious as he lay “helplessly” on the ground following a wild pub brawl during a work Christmas party has been jailed.

Ricky Davis, 25, of Ararat, pleaded guilty to intentionally cause serious injury and was sentenced to five and a half years’ jail in the County Court on Friday.

Davis was downing drinks at the Ararat Hotel with mates from the local abattoir on December 21 last year when one of his mates’ colleagues got into a punch on with a patron, Judge Michael Bourke told the court.

Staff from the abattoir had celebrated their work Christmas party at the Ararat Bowls Club hours earlier before moving on to the pub, and a court forensic psychologist said Davis, who was not an abattoir employee, was “enraged” their colleague had started trouble.

Witnesses later told police Davis’ victim was “loud” and “aggressive” and seemed to be “looking for a fight”, and CCTV showed the man crack a pool cue over another patron’s head before an all out melee between a number of men ensued, Judge Bourke told the court.

But he said Davis’s own response to the man’s behaviour was “sickening”.

Judge Bourke said while there was no evidence to say Davis was involved in the brawl indoors, CCTV captured him following the battered and disoriented man outside.

Davis then punched the man multiple times as he lay “helpless” on the ground, with one blow causing the man’s head to “whiplash back” and knock him out cold, Judge Bourke said.

The man was later flown to The Alfred hospital in a critical condition suffering from a brain injury and multiple face fractures, the court heard.

“It is clear that he was … effectively helpless when you struck him three more times as he lay on the ground,” Judge Bourke said.

“The film of what you did there cannot be described as anything but sickening.

“I find that provocation plays little rational or morally legitimate role here. In my view (the victim) was no real threat and at least vulnerable when you struck and really to the point helpless when you continued brutally to punch him.”

Judge Bourke also noted Davis had priors for similar drunken violent offending in 2013 and 2016.

Davis must serve at least three years of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

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