A man who punched a taxi driver after a dispute over a fare, knocking out four of his front teeth, has avoided serving any jail time for what prosecutors described as a "vicious and unprovoked attack".
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Michael Liam Jackson, 31, was drunk and angry over an expensive fare when he punched taxi driver Mohammad Hussain late one night in February.
Jackson and his friends and family had taken two taxis home from a 16th birthday party at Rydges Lakeside.
The 31-year-old was in the first cab, and became angry when the second taxi arrived 20-30 minutes after his own, and charged his fellow party-goers more than $20 more.
He abused the taxi driver and punched Mr Hussain so hard that four of his front teeth were knocked out.
The taxi driver cannot afford the surgery required to replace his front teeth, and has been missing the teeth since the attack, almost six months ago.
In a victim impact statement, Mr Hussain described how the attack had affected him physically, socially, and psychologically.
He cannot work, and is unable to meet rent payments, prompting several eviction warnings.
He is also struggling to buy food and pay for petrol, the court heard.
Mr Hussain, the court heard, has also suffered embarrassment, depression, and the "indignity and pain of not having his teeth".
"When I look at myself in the mirror, I get cranky because I don't look like myself," he wrote.
"I now have nightmares and sleepless nights.
"Sometimes I wake up screaming, which scares my family."
Jackson appeared for sentencing in the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The court heard he was a primary care giver to his mother, who suffers from dementia. He worked six days a week with a civil contractor, and was praised by colleagues, who said the attack was out of character.
The court heard he was willing to undergo rehabilitation for his alcohol issues.
He has promised to pay $5190 to the taxi driver in reparations, which will help fund the dental work.
His lawyer, Craig Lynch, asked the court to either fully suspend a prison sentence, or allow Jackson to serve it through periodic detention.
Prosecutors said that the seriousness of the offence and the need for deterrence - both generally to others in the community and specifically for Jackson - called for a jail sentence.
But the prosecutor also submitted that periodic detention may be appropriate.
Instead, Special Magistrate Graeme Lunney sentenced Jackson to a fully suspended three-month period of imprisonment, allowing him to walk free from the court.
He has put Jackson on an 18-month good behaviour order, and ordered him to pay the $5190 reparations within a month.
Special Magistrate Lunney noted the victim was in a vulnerable occupation, and recognised the need to deter others from committing similar offences.
He noted the assessment of the crime as in the mid-range of seriousness, made by both defence and prosecution, may be conservative, but accepted their consensus.
Special Magistrate Lunney also recommended Jackson seek rehabilitation for his alcohol problems.
