A thug who severely assaulted his friend, and was seen by a witness attacking the man after he dropped to the ground, has been jailed for six months.
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The victim of Tyrone Mallory's attack was hospitalised with severe facial injuries following the incident on October 27 last year.
His injuries were so serious, he had to attend the Royal Melbourne Hospital for facial surgery after receiving several days of treatment at Albury hospital.
His nose, eye socket and jaw were damaged and the man had to live with his mother for weeks to receive care.
He lost eight kilograms of weight in the first week after the attack, as he was unable to eat solid food.
The 26-year-old had been friends with Mallory, but their relationship soured over issues with a girl.
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The 24-year-old appeared before the Wodonga Magistrates Court on Wednesday, and was jailed on Thursday.
The court heard the victim had been drinking with a group of friends at the Birallee Tavern hours before the incident.
The group went to another friend's home and were joined by Mallory.
They caught a taxi towards Oslow Court, and an argument developed between the pair.
"We are going for a walk, we need to sort something out," Mallory told the man.
He punched him twice in the head after he got out of the taxi, which caused him to fall to the ground.
One witness heard a "whack followed by a thud", and saw Mallory "dancing around like a boxer".
Another reported seeing the 24-year-old punch the victim several times while he was on the ground.
Police saw the group on London Road a short time later.
The victim had to be sedated while being treated for his injuries as he was highly agitated.
Mallory was charged in January, and told police the victim was his mate and he was remorseful for what he had done.
The dispute was over an ex-girlfriend, he said.
The 24-year-old had planned to contest serious assault charges, but on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a count of recklessly causing serious injury, which led to other charges being dropped.
Mr Murphy had considered his sentence overnight, and said a six-month stint in jail followed by a community corrections order was appropriate.
"Hit the ground running in terms of getting that help," he said of the courses available for violence and aggression behind bars.
Mallory has some priors, but is now serving his first stint in custody.
His grandmother wiped away tears as he was sentenced.
"Take care, darl," she said before leaving the court.
