A man who was convicted in Orange Local Court for punching a man in the face had been the subject of racist taunts and gestures leading up to the assault.
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Kye Coumbe, 21, of Heferen Crescent in Black River, Queensland, near Townsville, had been out drinking and was with the 23-year-old victim and his friend at the corner of Summer and McNamara streets at 12.10am on February 7, 2021.
According to police, during a conversation the victim and the other man made a number of racist comments, gestures and noises towards Coumbe.
Coumbe was offended and began walking away along Summer Street and while he walked away the two other men continued to laugh and call out.
Coumbe then walked back to the victim, removed his shirt and threw it on the ground and struck himself in the head with closed fists and struck the front wall of Mr Lim's restaurant.
He walked towards the other man but bumped into the back of the victim causing the victim to turn and face him. Coumbe punched the victim in the face multiple times.
When the victim bent over to pick up something from the ground, Coumbes punched him again causing the man to fall to the ground. The victim sustained a one centimetre laceration to his right cheek as a result of the assault.
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The incident was captured on CCTV and Coumbe was not present in court. However he sent an email from Townsville saying he would plead guilty and took "full responsibility".
Magistrate Clare Farnan convicted him in his absence and fined him $800.
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