Shane Maxwell Yeo was drinking at the Castlereagh Hotel when he was spotted smoking inside by a patron at about 12.30am on February 27 this year.

The patron nearby called out to the 45-year-old telling him to stop smoking inside.

According to police, and captured on CCTV, Yeo approached the patron and the two had a heated verbal argument, before Yeo lashed out and struck the patron in the throat with his right hand, causing him to stumble back.

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As Yeo walked away, the patron regained his balance and followed him before the two ended up fighting, both throwing a number of punches to the face.

At one point the pair fell to the ground and began grappling, while other patrons attempted to stop the fight.

The pair were eventually separated by hotel security, and Yeo - who they found to be the primary aggressor - was escorted outside and asked to leave.

Yeo remained outside the hotel and continued arguing with staff, who eventually flagged down police who were patrolling the CBD.

Officers spotted Yeo with a ripped white shirt standing with security, and after a short argument, was told by police to leave the area.

About 15 minutes later, police were contacted again by hotel staff who said Yeo had returned to the pub.

Police arrived and spoke to Yeo who told officers he was waiting for a taxi. The officers told him to wait across the street at the taxi bay, or at least a location 50 metres away from the hotel.

When Yeo refused, police said his aggressive behaviour began to escalate. After refusing to leave Yeo was arrested, however he began resisting police attempts to place him in handcuffs.

Two officers were forced to bring Yeo to the ground as he wrangled to pull his arms underneath his body. Another two constables nearby attended to help and the four of them wrestled with Yeo until he was eventually placed into a caged police vehicle.

Representing himself in Dubbo Local Court Yeo pleaded guilty to resisting an officer in the execution of duty, affray and re-entering the vicinity of a licenced premises after being excluded.

"I'd like to apologise to the everyone involved. It was a silly mistake on my behalf," he told the court.

"I can't turn back time. I was on some medication at the time and mixed with alcohol, yeah I can't say anything else really."

The court head Yeo, who was self-employed, had been charged with the exact same charges in 2005.

Magistrate Gary Wilson found it was a "pretty ugly" situation, and clear he was very much affected by alcohol.

"I can tell you, had it not been your lack of any significant or substantial criminal history, this sort of behaviour would have put you in jail, and you can understand why," he said.

Yeo was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order, and fined $1000.

Despite telling the court he didn't have an alcohol problem, Magistrate Wilson also ordered he abstain from alcohol.