![Violent teen threatened, struck man Violent teen threatened, struck man](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/zTpV5j6X6iLmSh5SbcmSaP/3b070640-d9ae-4503-9d76-529126426538.jpg/r0_346_5184_3272_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A teenager was play fighting not long before he punched a man in a West Albury street for no reason.
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That happened while two women – one the victim’s wife – stood close by in fear for their safety.
Garry Robert Burns’ conduct was sharply criticised by magistrate Tony Murray, who ordered a pre-sentence report for the 19-year-old.
“It’s a totally unprovoked attack for no apparent reason,” he told him in Albury Local Court this week.
Burns, of Bevan Street, Lavington, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one of common assault.
A fourth charge of being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence was withdrawn.
The drama unfolded back on April 4 when Burns left Albury’s Commercial Club about 7.30pm.
He went to an address in Solomon Street with a number of his friends for a drinking session.
The group then began play fighting, but police said this accelerated to become more serious.
The noise led to neighbours coming out of their homes to see what was going on.
The fighting spilled out onto Solomon Street, resulting in one group of three neighbours also coming out to investigate.
One of them, a man, tried to speak to Burns when he became aggressive towards them.
Burns then began throwing punches that narrowly missed the face of the victim, who pleaded that he not hit him.
One punch eventually struck the man, causing him to lose balance.
At one point Burns began walking towards the man’s wife, the short and slightly built teenager intimidating her by pushing out his chest.
Police said this caused the woman to fear for her safety.
The man tried to assist his wife, resulting in Burns walking back towards him.
The man appealed to Burns to not hit his wife, all the while walking backwards so as to prevent being assaulted.
But Burns punched him in the face then moments later thumped him again.
That left him with a bloodied nose.
Burns will be sentenced on January 21.