A magistrate has told a young man who drunkenly attacked a convenience store worker in Civic to "put your head down and bum up" and stop "punching random people in the face".
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Liam Nizam Shahriar, 21, fronted the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday morning, having previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Shahriar entered Supa 24 on Mort Street in August last year at around 1am, asking the store worker for alcohol.
When the worker refused to provide Shahriar with alcohol, he began calling the worker a racial slur, repeating the word multiple times, before he started swinging his fists at the man.
One of the 21-year-old's swings in the "flurry of punches" hit the man's nose, causing it to split open and bleed.
Police were called and arrested Shahriar, who was seen to also have bruises from the victim throwing several punches back.
On Thursday, the court heard Shahriar had breached a good behaviour order, for similar offending, by committing the assault.
Defence lawyer Jacob Robertson said Shahriar acknowledged he "drinks to excess and loses control", saying he had been addressing his anger and alcohol issues by participating in a rehabilitation program.
Mr Robertson told the court Shahriar should be given a good behaviour order and allowed to continue with his rehabilitation "rather than the doors of the AMC slamming".
Prosecutor Murray Thomas argued Shahriar should be given a jail sentence and a fine.
Magistrate Louise Taylor said she was concerned about the "pattern he has developed", but she was "encouraged by the significant engagement" Shahriar had made with the rehabilitation program.
"He will seal his own destiny if he does not control how he deals with a belly full of grog," Ms Taylor said.
She said "the community is fed up with alcohol-fuelled violence in public and drunken, violent fools", but "there is no better way to protect the community than rehabilitation."
Ms Taylor sentenced Shahriar to a four-month jail term, which she suspended, and imposed a 12-month good behaviour order which requires him to continue attending rehabilitation programs.
She also fined him $1000, to be paid within 12 months, for the breach of his good behaviour order.
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Soofia Tariq
Soofia joined the Canberra Times in 2022 as the cadet. She is now a general news reporter, covering everything from local stories to ACT and federal politics. She previously interned and was an audio producer at The Guardian Australia. She has also worked at 2SER Radio and City Hub Sydney. Her email is soofia.tariq@canberratimes.com.au
Soofia joined the Canberra Times in 2022 as the cadet. She is now a general news reporter, covering everything from local stories to ACT and federal politics. She previously interned and was an audio producer at The Guardian Australia. She has also worked at 2SER Radio and City Hub Sydney. Her email is soofia.tariq@canberratimes.com.au
