The victim of a brutal and protracted bashing was "clearly pursued, clearly scared" during the broad daylight reprisal assault, a judge has said.
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The victim was taken to Canberra Hospital and treated as a patient with a "potentially life-threatening condition" after the attack.
George Dritsas, 54, previously admitted to recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm during the September 2020 incident.
The offender expressively frowned from the dock as he watched the four-and-a-half minute compilation video of his crime, much of which was captured by CCTV and played for the ACT Supreme Court on Friday.
That video depicts the victim being repeatedly kicked in the head and body, as well as stomped on and dragged by Dritsas and co-offender Jamie Kinsela.
Details of the men's offending have been previously revealed after Kinsela was sentenced to two years and 10 months in jail in 2021.
In written submissions, prosecutor Sofia Janackovic said the attack was "prolonged, multi-faceted and involved a significant degree of violence".
"Early in the assault, the victim became injured and despite lying on the ground and despite his disadvantaged state, the offender and Mr Kinsela continued to assault him," Ms Janackovic said.
Agreed facts tendered to the court state the victim broke into Kinsela's home in late August 2020 to steal 10 ounces of cannabis and one litre of cannabis-infused vegetable glycerine.
This was captured on CCTV and is said to have spurred the two offenders to track down the victim, which they did on the morning of September 1, 2020.
The victim attempted to hide in the Latham Turkish Food Bar but was violently dragged out of the shop.
He was repeatedly stomped on, struck, yelled at and threatened inside and outside the shop and in view of multiple witnesses, with his shoes also taken.
The two offenders tried to push the victim into their ute, with witnesses telling police Kinsela was holding rope.
"[Dritsas] told [the victim] not to get blood on the car and said that 'the more mess you make, the more we're going to hurt you'," court documents state.
The victim resisted and, with witnesses verbally interjecting during the assault, got away.
"Get out of Canberra," Kinsela yelled at the fleeing victim.
The victim suffered a collapsed lung, two fractured ribs, a fractured ankle, multiple abrasions, bruises and laceration, among other injuries.
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He remained in intensive care for four days.
Offered the chance to attend his upcoming sentence hand-down via audio-visual link, Dritsas chose to be there in person.
"Anything's better than jail," the offender, who was subject to two suspended sentences at the time of the attack, said.
Dritsas is set to hear his fate next week.
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Tim Piccione
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
