AFL star Noah Balta has been spared jail after he assaulted a man, but has been hit with an evening curfew that could affect his ability to play night matches.
The Richmond defender has been sentenced to a Community Corrections Order with a 10pm curfew for three months in the Albury Local Court this morning.
He was spared jail time for his assault of a man in December, but the Community Corrections Order includes a 10pm curfew, a $3000 fine an alcohol ban.
He was sentenced with a criminal conviction.
Balta missed the opening rounds of the season due to suspension but returned for Richmond’s upset win over the Gold Coast Suns on the weekend.
Balta, 25, last month pleaded guilty to the assault in Mulwala in the NSW Riverina region on December 30 that left another man in hospital with a head injury.
Prosecutor Jason Tozer told the Corowa Local Court “sheer luck” saved the 27-year-old victim from death.
CCTV showed Balta taking the victim to the ground then repeatedly punching him.
“Your Honour can see he becomes fully airborne and travels a metre or a metre-and-a-half,” Tozer said told the court.
“It is only sheer luck that his head did not make contact with that concrete.”
Balta’s defence admitted the incident was serious but argued the assault was at the higher end of a mid-level offence.
The prosecution argued the attack met the threshold of a high-level offence.
Character references for the AFL star described Balta as “a kind, caring gentle giant,” defence lawyer Belinda Franjic said.
“It’s quite clear this offence is completely and utterly out of character for Mr Balta,” she told the court.
