A man was given a custodial sentence for his involvement in an affray in Summer Street this month despite his solicitor claiming his opponent started the fight.
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Luke Sonter, 21, formerly of Wahratta Way, appeared in Orange Local Court via audio visual link from jail on Monday.
At the time of his arrest, Sonter was on conditional liberty by way of Community Correction Orders for intimidation and common assault.
Solicitor Mason Manwaring said Sonter entered an early plea of guilty.
Mr Manwaring said in regard to the affray the other man threw something at the car.
"Luke should not have done, [but] he did get out of the car," Mr Manwaring said.
"The aggressor in this was the other [man]."
Mr Manwaring said the other man was also the first to grab his client at the start of the violence.
"All my client had to do was not get out of the car," he said.
According to a fact sheet, Sonter was a passenger in a car being driven by a woman, and another man and woman were driving in another car in Orange at 9.58pm on June 1.
The other car stopped at the traffic lights at Anson and Summer streets and the other man got out of the car he was travelling in and ran towards the car Sonter was in, which was pulled over in Summer Street.
Sonter then got out of the car and walked towards the other vehicle. However, the other man grabbed him by the shoulder and Sonter grabbed the other man's shoulders.
The two men who were well known to each other then began to wrestle and fight.
They threw multiple punches at each other that connected with their faces and bodies.
A passerby phoned the police and at 10.02pm Sonter and the woman he was with left the location.
Police arrived seconds later and interviewed the other man and woman who were still at the scene.
The other man was visibly agitated and had clear red marks and scratches on his torso and face.
Police issued the man a move on direction to leave the CBD.
Sonter and the woman he was with attended Orange Police Station at the request of police at 11.59pm.
They were arrested and Sonter had red marks on his face and knuckles.
According to police the female drivers of the two cars also got into a fight with each other but it was not clear on Monday whether the other three people have been charged.
Sonter was charged with affray and contravening an apprehended violence order for his role in the fight.
Magistrate David Day said Sonter is a reactionary person who was willing to engage in "extreme violence".
"Obviously he's got a short fuse and nothing seems to have changed much in his life since he started to get into trouble as a juvenile," he said.
He said Sonter's record covered a wide range "from fisticuffs in the main street to very serious matters" and the offence was aggravated by him being on conditional liberty.
He placed Sonter on a 12-month community-based intensive correction order, which also takes into account her previous CCOs. However, Mr Day said there was substantial concurrence.
"Not withstanding my harsh words to you I have expressed a degree of leniency," Mr Day said.
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