Premiership Tiger faces potential jail time as CCTV of alleged assault shown in court

CCTV footage of Richmond premiership star Noah Balta allegedly assaulting a man has been shown in a NSW court, as the defender pleaded guilty on Thursday.

CCTV footage of Richmond premiership star Noah Balta allegedly assaulting a man has been shown in a NSW court, as the defender pleaded guilty on Thursday.

The 25-year-old faced Corowa Local Court after leaving another man in hospital with a head injury following the incident in the early hours of December 30 at the Mulwala Water Ski Club.

Balta pleaded guilty to a single count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, which attracts a maximum penalty of five years in jail under NSW law.

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The footage, which you can watch in the player above, showed multiple people arguing in a car park before Balta ran at the man, pushing him to the ground and punching him.

His defence argued the incident was at the higher end of a mid-level offence, whereas the prosecution argued it was a high-level offence.

AAP reported prosecutor Jason Tozer told the court the 27-year-old victim could have been killed.

“Your Honour can see he becomes fully airborne and travels a metre or a metre-and-a-half,” Sergeant Tozer said.

“It is only sheer luck that his head did not make contact with that concrete.”

CCTV footage of Noah Balta's incident has been shown in court.

The court heard Balta has since completed an anger management program, a behaviour change program and abstained from alcohol since the incident.

His defence said Balta’s brother was involved in a confrontation when Balta “made a significant error in judgment”.

“It’s quite clear this offence is completely and utterly out of character for Mr Balta,” defence lawyer Belinda Franjic said.

Balta received a four-match ban from Richmond over the incident, which the prosecution argued was “so minimal as to be irrelevant”, and is eligible to return in Round 5.

However he is set to be sentenced on April 22, following Round 6.

Originally published as Premiership Tiger faces potential jail time as CCTV of alleged assault shown in court