A 26-year-old man who violently attacked an elderly Dubbo couple has pleaded guilty to three assault charges in court.
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John Martin, of Nelson Bay, lashed out at the man and woman at their Oxley Drive home on January 11.
Court documents revealed Martin and the woman had an argument about his attitude before she slapped his face.
Martin slapped the woman and pushed her into a coffee table before she fell to the floor.
The man who was sitting on the lounge tried to intervene and grabbed Martin, in a bid to de-escalate the situation.
Police said Martin threw the man to the floor and walked to the front door where he took "hold of a set of keys belonging to the victims and simulated throwing them out the front door over the street".
The man got up off the floor to look for keys he believed the man had thrown out the door.
Outside the front of the house, Martin started verbally berating the man and pushed him onto the road.
Martin stood over the man and headbutted him.
In court documents police said the man had been diagnosed with depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
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Police said "escalating tensions" and "erratic behaviour" posed "serious threat to the safety of the victims".
"There has been a history of these incidents that have gone unreported," police said.
In Dubbo Local Court last week Martin pleaded guilty to three assault charges.
Martin's legal representative told the court his client had a traumatic brain injury.
Magistrate Gary Wilson requested a sentencing assessment report and the case was adjourned to March 10.