Richmond Star Noah Balta Faces Potential Jail Time as CCTV of Assault Shown in Court

Richmond premiership player Noah Balta is facing possible jail time after pleading guilty to assault, with CCTV footage of the incident shown in a New South Wales court.

The 25-year-old appeared at Corowa Local Court on Thursday, admitting to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison under NSW law.

The incident occurred in the early hours of December 30 at the Mulwala Water Ski Club, where Balta left a 27-year-old man hospitalized with a head injury.

CCTV Footage and Court Arguments

A fight got worse in a parking lot, and a video shown in court showed Balta running at the victim, pushing him to the ground, and hitting him.

Prosecutors said the attack was a high-level crime because the victim was very likely to get seriously hurt.

“He becomes fully airborne and travels a metre or a metre-and-a-half,” prosecutor Jason Tozer told the court, emphasizing that it was “sheer luck” the victim’s head did not hit the concrete.

Balta’s defence acknowledged the seriousness of the incident but described it as a mid-level offence. His lawyer, Belinda Franjic, argued the act was out of character and stemmed from a misjudgment, as Balta was reacting to an altercation involving his brother.

Noah Balta Actions Since the Incident

Since the assault, Balta has completed an anger management and behaviour change program and has abstained from alcohol.

Richmond sanctioned him with a four-match suspension, but the prosecution dismissed the punishment as “minimal” and “irrelevant” given the severity of the offence.

Noah Balta is set to return in Round 5, but his sentencing is scheduled for April 22, following Round 6.