Jindera man let fly with punch after victim refused to shake his hand

Xavier Anderson punched a man to the head after the man refused to shake his hand, before heading outside, getting into his ute and reversing into two parked cars.

In the second incident, Anderson had introduced himself to a woman sitting at a table at another Albury hotel.

IN OTHER NEWS:

He was so drunk, police said, that was "not able to speak clearly".

Initially the conversation was civil, but soon enough Anderson began making "inappropriate" remarks to the woman, causing her to become upset.

She asked him to leave, but Anderson refused.

After some of the victim's friends returned to the table, Anderson demonstrated his "high level of intoxication" when he knocked glasses off the table.

MORE COURT STORIES

Staff at the Astor Hotel moved in to clean-up the mess, as the victim and a friend told him to leave.

"Suddenly," police said, "the accused struck out at the victim with his left closed fist while on the phone."

This incident happened on the night of January 21, while the first assault - at Thurgoona's Kinross Woolshed Hotel - was on October 1.

Defence lawyer Jason Hanke described it as "very unfortunate and very unusual" offending, at a time when his emotions were "very raw" in the wake of his now-wife suffering a miscarriage.

Mr Hanke said Anderson was "extremely remorseful" and that these were his first matters of violence.

Magistrate Sally McLaughlin said both assaults were due to "your high level of intoxication".

But she accepted the role his grief played in his offending, and noted how Anderson had taken steps to address those issues.

Anderson, 29, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault, drive under the influence of alcohol and not give particulars to other driver.

He was fined $3440, disqualified from driving for six months and placed on a nine-month community corrections order.

To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: