A magistrate has urged a young Lavington woman who attacked another woman in a pub toilet to get off the grog or risk jail.
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Richard Funston told Ashley Condie that this was where she was headed if she did not change her ways.
His comment was made in the context of Condie already having a previous conviction for a similar assault.
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"You're young, you should be doing great things at 21, not coming to court on an assault matter," Mr Funston told Condie in Albury Local Court.
He asked defence lawyer Angus Lingham if Condie had "a drinking problem".
"She's taken steps since to reduce her consumption of alcohol," he replied.
Condie and the victim had also had some "issues" between them in the past.
Mr Lingham said Condie had been aware the victim might have been at Albury's Beer Deluxe on the night the assault happened and so was very mindful to avoid the woman.
The assault, he said, happened because she ran into the victim as she was coming out of the pub's toilets.
"She was quite scared at the time, even though she accepts her actions were not proportionate to the threat that existed," Mr Lingham said.
The pair knew each other through mutual friends.
Police said Condie and two mates went to the pub on July 6 about 12.30am.
They went outside to the pub's beer garden and, some time later, entered the toilets near the dance floor.
Condie did not know that the victim was already inside the toilets.
They argued, with a drunken Condie asking the victim to move so she could leave.
"The victim did not move," police said, "and the accused has then hit the victim four or five times to the top of her head and around her face.
"The victim tried to defend herself as the accused was striking her."
Mr Funston convicted and fined Condie, who pleaded guilty to common assault, $800.
"If you were to commit further offences you would seriously risk being sentenced to jail," he said.