Lavington man sent back to jail

Lavington man Benjamin Dinan, 26, was so drunk when he punched and slapped the men in July that has no recollection of the incident and no explanation for what caused it.

Dinan had only recently been released from prison on parole when he attended the Northside Hotel with his father on July 18.

The two victims had been playing pool at the venue and Dinan joined in.

His father had been talking to one of the victims when Dinan punched one of the men.

He walked around the pool table and slapped the second man, who has cerebral palsy and other medical conditions, with the back of his hand.

Security guards forced Dinan to leave but he kept trying to return to the venue.

He attended the Albury police station on July 30 and said he couldn’t remember anything about the attack.

He appeared in Albury Local Court by videolink from Silverwater jail on Thursday.

Magistrate Tony Murray said Dinan, who has a large throat tattoo, had a long history of violence and had warrants for his arrest in Victoria at the time of the offence.

Mr Murray said the fact he had assaulted a vulnerable person with an obvious disability made the incident more serious.

“You’re going to have to amend your ways,” he said.

“You’re already spending far too long in jail.”

The magistrate said Dinan was a young man who was looking at longer jail sentences for future offences.

Dinan said he didn’t remember the incident but was sorry for what he had done.

Mr Murray sentenced him to a 12 month jail term backdated to his parole breach on September 24.

He will be eligible for parole after six months.

He was also banned from attending the Northside Hotel or loitering nearby the venue, and has been banned from contacting the two victims.

Dinan has been jailed several times and has a criminal record dating back several years.

He showed no emotion after being sentenced.