A MAN involved in a one punch attack at a Bunbury nightclub which left the victim with blurred vision, a sore shoulder and cuts has been handed a hefty fine.
Ahmed Ayadi pleaded guilty to a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm when he faced Magistrate Dianne Scaddan at the Bunbury Magistrates Court on February 1.
The court heard 26-year-old Ayadi was drinking at Fitzgerald’s Irish Bar on the night of March 13 and 14 last year.
The victim, a 35-year-old male, and his friend were also drinking on the dance floor but the defence claimed they were taunting Tunisian-born Ayadi, calling him a terrorist and making other racial remarks.
Ayadi has lived in Australia for several years with his wife and young children.
This lead to an altercation between the men where Ayadi slapped and pushed the victim and his friend together, causing the victim’s friend to punch Ayadi in the head.
The club’s security intervened to escort the victim’s friend out.
Ayadi followed them both but before reaching the exit, punched the victim from behind to the right side of his head before he fell to the floor, smacking his head on the pavement.
The victim lay motionless on the floor and emergency services were called to take the man to the Bunbury Regional Hospital.
The victim reported blurred vision following the attack, a sore shoulder and cuts to the face.
In court, Magistrate Scaddan said the racial remarks offered an explanation for the attacks but his behaviour did not justify the one punch on the man.
She said she had no tolerance for racist remarks but it did not excuse Ayadi’s unexpected pun-ch from behind which more often than not, had disastrous effects on everyone.
He was fined $5000, $2500 of which went to the victim.
