A Cobar man is behind bars after a 'disturbing' attack on a group of men in Dubbo's CBD, which left one man laying motionless on the footpath for 15 minutes.
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John Stirling had been drinking at the Pastoral Hotel on August 22 last year when he walked across the road to a group of three men before attacking them, and knocking one man unconscious.
The 22-year-old Cobar man was with a group of people when the fight broke out on the corner of Talbragar Street and Carrington Avenue about 3.30am.
Stirling took steps toward his first victim punching him in the face with "significant force" knocking him to the ground, where he laid unconscious for 15 minutes, court documents revealed.
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He then turned to another victim and punched him, causing him to stumble backward. Another victim attempted to push Stirling away, however he grabbed onto the victim and punched him multiple times.
The attack was captured on CCTV, with police facts stating "at no point on the footage can any three victims be seen to throw a punch during the entire incident".
When police asked Stirling about his behaviour he told them he "just snapped".
In February, Stirling pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray and two counts of common assault in Dubbo Local Court.
A letter of apology, along with letters from Stirling's parents and a character reference from his grandfather were handed to Magistrate Gary Wilson ahead of sentencing.
On Thursday, the court heard Stirling had claimed the attack took place because he heard his sister cry out for assistance and he had instantly "gone into protector mode" and "blacked out".
However Magistrate Wilson said he was reluctant to accept this claim.
He said while Stirling had no prior history of violence or aggressive behaviour, the CCTV footage showed actions "akin to one punch crimes".
"What was depicted in the footage was extremely disturbing, to say the least," he said.
Magistrate Wilson said it was important to note Stirling had consumed "a large amount of alcohol" before the brawl.
"These offences are serious and unfortunately occur all to often in this community," Magistrate Wilson said.
"There is a need for a strong measure of both general and specific deterrence, and the need to ensure adequate punishment and make the offender accountable for his actions and recognise the harm done."
Magistrate Wilson sentenced Stirling to an aggregate term of imprisonment for 2 years and 3 months. He was given a non-parole period of 18 months, and will be eligible for release on October 12, 2022.