Former freight worker Clinton Pokoti jailed for 'unprovoked' and 'gratuitously violent' assault in Orange Local Court

Clinton Pokoti, 40, of Goorawin Road was handcuffed and led away by corrective service officers after Magistrate David Day read out his sentence at Orange Local Court on December 8.

Pokoti did not fight the charges, entering pleas of guilty to two counts of common assault.

The court heard that Pokoti had formerly worked at Central West Freight and since leaving, believed that people at his old workplace were spreading rumours about him.

According to court documents, Pokoti had returned home from his new job at the Robin Hood Hotel at 12.30am on July 5, 2022.

There he drank four Sommersby ciders and at 2am had someone drive him to Central West Freight. Once there he found workers loading pallets and began yelling at the first victim, a 68-year old man.

The victim tried to walk away but was punched by Pokoti, causing him to fall backwards.

After being told to stop by the second victim, Pokoti walked up to him yelling and slapped him in the face. The second victim did not retaliate and walked away.

Pokoti returned to the first victim, who was still on the ground, and continued yelling before grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and slamming him onto the concrete floor.

A third person walked over and told Pokoti to stop. Following a physical altercation, for which Pokoti was not charged, the person struck Pokoti in the head with a steel bar. Police were satisfied this was in self-defence following investigations.

Police were called and upon arriving saw Pokoti stumbling back to the car he arrived in. An ambulance was called and he required six to eight stitches.

In court Pokoti's lawyer Taras Maksymczuk conceded the nature of the assault was "serious" but a "one-off" offence and said his client had refrained from drinking since the incident.

Police prosecutor Beau Riley disagreed with Mr Maksymczuk's request for leniency, arguing for a jail sentence.

"The assault is extremely high end," Mr Riley said.

"[The victim] is 68, hitting someone on the street would be less serious than beating a 68-year old. Anything less than full-time custody would be inadequate."

Magistrate Day agreed, sentencing Pokoti to nine months imprisonment with the possibility of parole after four months.

"In my view he has well and truly crossed the custody threshold," he said.

"The offence was unprovoked, gratuitous violence.

"In my view his record is such that a community corrections order would not achieve necessary objectives of sentencing."

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