AN OFFENDER whose brutal assault could have left a 62-year-old man dead has been jailed.
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Jordan Charles Garcie, 19, of Invermay, delivered an unprovoked ``roundhouse elbow'' to the defenceless man's head last July in Launceston.
The Launceston Magistrates Court heard the victim had taken exception at Garcie's friend urinating in public.
A conversation ensued and Garcie became involved, first chuckling at the man's intoxication, before launching what police prosecutor Trudi Lusted called a ``cowardly, unprovoked, and indefensible'' assault.
``The (victim) was lucky he did not suffer a more serious injury or even death,'' she said.
Ms Lusted said the victim had no police record for violence despite Garcie's claim that he believed the man was a rough character.
She called for a jail term.
The assault happened outside a licensed venue during the early hours of July 6.
The attack was captured on CCTV which was played in court.
It showed a staggering victim with his arms by his side taking a single step towards Garcie who unleashed a ``spin roundhouse elbow to the man's head'' Magistrate Simon Brown said yesterday.
``The manner which you adopted to respond . . . was particularly brutal,'' he said.
``The act which you committed . . . was lightning fast . . . and entirely, utterly unnecessary.
``This was a very nasty assault. It had the potential to cause tragedy.''
The assault left the victim unconscious for several hours and required eight stitches to the head.
The man is unable to remember anything about the 10 hours after the attack and has suffered ongoing headaches, the court heard.
After the man was knocked out Garcie remained at the scene but did not render any assistance.
Mr Brown said the people who came outside the venue were visibly shocked by what they saw.
He accepted Garcie's lawyer's submissions that the teenager was acting out of character and had good rehabilitation prospects.
Mr Brown agreed there was not a demonstrable spike in Launceston street violence that required a a specific response from the courts.
But he said alcohol-related violence had long been a problem in the community.
He did not accept the lawyer's submission that a wholly suspended sentence was appropriate.
``While this is a common assault it is a bad one,'' he said
Mr Brown sentenced Garcie to four months' jail, with two months suspended for two years.
Garcie broke down in tears as he was led from the court by security guards.