A drunk man grabbed a hotel licensee and threatened to kill him after his mate was refused alcohol.
Portarlington cricketer Liam Vagg, 26, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates Court on Monday to recklessly causing injury.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable James French said Vagg was drinking beers at the St Leonards hotel with a group of friends on the evening of December 3 last year.
The licensee was concerned members of the group were drinking too much and asked to check their ID cards.
Later, security asked the group to leave but Vagg and his friends instead walked to the smokers area and ordered some food.
Police said the group started antagonising patrons, and when one of the members of the group went to get a beer they were told they were cut off.
The court was told Vagg said “who the f— are you? Give me the drinks” before confronting the licensee and tackling him to the ground.
Vagg pressed the his face onto the floor and punched to the side of the face four times and said “f— you, you old c—, I’m going to kill you”.
The victim was taken to hospital and received a palm size haematoma and an abrasion above his eye.
After the incident, police obtained CCTV footage of the incident and also spoke to a security guard who confirmed Vagg as the culprit.
In an interview with police on December 13, Vagg made full admissions to his offending after seeing the CCTV footage and appeared shocked by the allegations.
Vagg’s lawyer Adrian Paull, said his client was heavily intoxicated and submitted a corrections order would be in range and would need to have alcohol counselling.
Magistrate Peter Mellas ordered Vagg to return to court on August 6 for sentencing.
In January Vagg escaped with a fineafter he appeated in court for kicking a Queenscliff player in the head during an “embarrassing” brawl in the middle of a Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association game.
He was also given a 10-game ban and a 10-game suspended sentence over five years.