Man pleads not guilty to one-punch attack in Civic on New Year's Day
A 20-year-old man has pleaded not guilty over an alleged New Year’s Day one-punch attack that left another man with a shattered jaw.
Jordan Sharma pleaded not guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday to a charge of recklessly inflict grievous bodily harm.
Police say the Braddon man was pictured on CCTV on New Year's Day knocking the alleged victim to the ground.
In court, the registrar continued Sharma's bail, with the case to return to court on March 29.
Sharma handed himself in to ACT Police on January 7, after they released video of the attack which took place outside a convenience store on East Road in Civic, around 2.45am on January 1.
The alleged victim had his jaw shattered by the 'coward punch' and had to undergo emergency surgery later that day.
The released CCTV shows the victim, also aged in his 20s, speaking with a man before another steps in and ‘coward punches’ him from the side.
Bystanders rushed to the fallen man’s aid as the other two men walked away from the scene.
The victim was still unconscious when police arrived a short time later.
"When I first saw him he was completely limp on the ground, eyes closed, he was, I'd describe him as lifeless,” witness Daniel McDougall told 7 News last week.
Police have also identified the man speaking with the victim seconds before the attack.
Both the accused and his lawyer, Kamy Saeedi, refused to comment to media outside court today.
