The boy and his friends began hugging each other and shaking hands after the early-morning melee.

The fight between the 17-year-old's group and the victims began after he objected to a man from the other group filming them with a mobile phone from the other side of the street.

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Defence lawyer Mitchell Brooks told magistrate Richard Funston that the boy no longer associated with his mates, who during the fight had insisted to him that he "keep kicking until it was over".

Mr Brooks said his client's behaviour was sharply at odds with his normal character, described by his family as loving and caring.

"I must say," Mr Funston said, "I'm very impressed with the family living circumstances.

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"That's pretty good, I don't read that very often."

Prosecutor Sergeant Andrew Pike said that if not for the boy's age he would have submitted that the threshold for a jail sentence had been crossed, such was the seriousness of the incident.

One of the boy's friends, who was 12 months older at 18 and who had no criminal history, was given a 12-month jail term, to be served in the community by way of an intensive corrections order.

The boy pleaded guilty to affray over the fight, which happened on December 19 about 1am after the video incident near QEII Square.

Mr Funston sentenced the boy to nine months' probation, with supervision.

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