A MAN who punched a teenager in broad daylight in Launceston over a Facebook feud has breached a suspended sentence that was imposed months earlier.
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George Town man Kurt James Rodney Holmes, 21, faced the Launceston Magistrates Court for sentencing today.
His new offending, including the common assault, had breached a six-month suspended sentence imposed in April 2014, with 19 days backdated, for 12 months.
Holmes had previously pleaded guilty to his latest offences, including the assault, stealing, trespass, and breaches of bail conditions.
The assault involved Holmes cornering a lone college student, 17, outside a party store about 12.40pm on August 2, 2014, at the intersection of Charles and York streets, Launceston.
Holmes asked the youth about Facebook messages the youth sent to his girlfriend and threw a punch which failed to connect.
He then grabbed at clothing around the youth's neck, forced the youth back against the shop door, asked the youth for a fight and punched him in the mouth.
The 17-year-old suffered swelling, bleeding and a cut to his mouth.
Today, magistrate Sharon Cure noted that Holmes was recovering from Hodgkin's lymphoma and wanted to reform after spending time in jail.
"You do look genuinely unwell," she said to Holmes.
Ms Cure also acknowledged that Holmes had never worked and was paying off his unpaid fines of more than $8000 at the rate of $32 a fortnight from his Centrelink benefits.
She activated three months of Holmes' six-month suspended sentence, backdated to when he went into custody on December 30, 2014.
For Holmes' new offences, Ms Cure ordered him to serve a 12-month probation order upon release.