Solicitor Neil Jones said Jack Middleton, 28, of of Honeyman Drive, went to with a friend to the victim's home during sentencing at Orange Local Court on Tuesday.

"The victim purchased a car from [the friend] and had not paid the money," Mr Jones said.

Mr Jones also said the victim, who was sitting on front steps leading to the house, was perched higher than Middleton and was the aggressor but magistrate David Day said Middleton and his friend were trespassing on the victim's property.

"Your client was there as an enforcer for [the friend] in the recovery of money and in the presence of children," he said. "My client didn't see the children," Mr Jones said but Mr Day said "doesn't matter".

According to police the victim was outside his home working on an engine when Middleton and the other man confronted him on March, 12, 2019.

The victim's partner and four children aged between two and seven years of age were also at the house.

According to police the friend arrived first then Middleton arrived and said, "where the hell is the f***ing money?".

The victim told him to "bugger-off" and Middleton grabbed him and punched the side of his head.

The victim ducked from the punch, scrambled back and grabbed a hammer and Middleton ran back across the yard and jumped over the front fence.

The victim followed them to the fence and told them not to come back and made an alternative arrangement for the money exchange.

Afterwards the victim found an upset two-year-old child hiding in the child's bedroom after being scared by the confrontation.

Although Middleton had previous convictions on his criminal record, Mr Jones said they stemmed from a problem with alcohol he had 10 years ago.

One of the offences was reckless grievous bodily harm, for which he received an intensive correction order in 2010.

Mr Jones said Middleton also previously had a rugby league contract with Parramatta but suffered a rotator cuff injury and he's now employed 50-hours a week removing bushfire-damaged trees from roadways.

Mr Day gave Middleton a 12-month community correction order and a $1100 fine for the assault.