He did not speak. But later, in a statement from Richmond, Balta apologised to the victim Thomas Washbrook, his friends and family and the club.
“I have let a lot of people down and the lesson has been learned that violence is never the answer,” he said.
“I will continue to work to improve myself to ensure this never happens again.”
His reserved demeanour in court was a far cry from the drunken footballer who barrelled into Washbrook, on the night of the attack, or even the powerful defender hugged by his teammates after his match-winning heroics against Gold Coast on Saturday night.
He was told by the court he could not drink alcohol for the period of the curfew, until July 22, and would have to undergo an educational program for self-control.
It all adds to the price that Balta has had to pay since his senseless act of violence left a bloodied Washbrook on the ground, bleeding profusely from a three-centimetre cut to his head and in pain with a broken rib.
Since then, the court heard, Balta has been banned from four games of home-and-away football, undergone rehabilitation courses and paid his victim $45,000 in compensation as part of a civil case.
Disturbing CCTV footage of the assault was made public at a court sitting last month when Balta pleaded guilty to the attack, but Humphreys revisited the fateful night for the purpose of her sentencing.
She said the footballer had been on a pub crawl with his brother and friends in the NSW border towns of Yarrawonga and Mulwala before ending up at the ski club in an intoxicated state.
When the ski club closed, Washbrook, 27, had been standing outside waiting for a courtesy bus. A verbal altercation broke out nearby between Balta’s group and another man.
Washbrook stepped between Balta’s brother Oskar and another man to try and “defuse” the situation.
The victim then “gently touched Oskar on the chest in an attempt to calm him down”.
Balta was walking out of the club at the time and misread the signs. He told police he felt the need to protect his brother. He could not have been more wrong.
“He ran towards the victim and used excessive force to charge him [Washbrook] and push him to the ground,” Humphreys said.
“While the victim was lying on the concrete, the offender punched the victim two to three times to the head.”
Next, Balta’s brother grabbed Washbrook by the shirt and held his shoulder while Balta punched him two more times. He punched the victim again as he walked off.
The court found the attack was “unprovoked”.
Balta handed himself in to police the following day.
He immediately gave up alcohol and has since undergone an anger management course as well as undertaking “mandated additional work at the [footy] club before and after training”.
He was suspended by Richmond for four AFL games and two practice matches and fronted the players to explain his actions and outline the steps he had taken to address them.
The court was handed character references from a number of people including former Tigers coach Damien Hardwick, player manager Robbie D’Orazio and Richmond president John O’Rourke.
They described Balta as a “gentle giant” for whom the drunken assault was out of character.
The magistrate opted against a prison term – the maximum penalty for assault occasioning actual bodily harm is five years’ jail – because Balta was young, he had no prior offences, he had engaged in rehabilitation and he had shown genuine remorse. She said Balta was unlikely to reoffend.
She said the attack was in the mid-range of seriousness, but she could not be satisfied to a high standard that there was a “probability of death occurring”.
Balta’s lawyer, Belinda Franjic, asked the court if exemptions could be made for night football and interstate games, but the request was denied. Humphreys said Balta would have to make changes to his employment to fit the penalty.
His brother had already been sentenced to a two-year conditional release order, starting on March 27, for his part in the assault.
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Following the sentencing, Balta stayed inside the Albury Court House for 2½ hours, speaking to his legal team and representatives from Richmond before emerging, walking to a waiting black Ford SUV before being driven away for the three-hour trip back to Melbourne for the 10pm curfew.
In a statement, the AFL said it will not impose any further sanctions on Balta after his sentencing, and having already served a football suspension.
“His actions on that night are something we never wish to see in any setting, by anyone, at any time,” the statement said.
“Balta’s conduct could have resulted in a much more serious outcome, his actions do not represent behaviours acceptable to anyone in our game or our community and he must continue to take responsibility for them.”
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