A CONCRETER who hit a man in the head with a piece of PVC pipe over $200 that went missing on a drug run has been sentenced to a 15-month intensive corrections (ICO) order.
Kade Priestly, 19, appeared in Newcastle District Court supported by his family on Friday as Judge Roy Ellis handed down his sentence.
The court heard his role in the assault against another young man and his father was less than that of his co-offender Aaron James Wilson, who was sentenced to three years imprisonment in November.
Priestly was only 18 at the time of the offence, and had no prior criminal history.
The court heard the teenager had committed to rehabilitation and programs since his arrest in October 2021.
Judge Ellis noted that Priestly's offending began after he befriended 30-year-old Wilson, who had a serious and lengthy history of assaults.
"There's no question of parity having regard to the different roles they played," he said.
"Since this event Mr Priestly has done his best towards rehabilitating himself.
"If you breach this ICO, you go into custody and have to convince a parole board to release you and it's harder to do that than to convince the court - my best advice is don't breach it, good luck."
Priestly pleaded guilty earlier this week, after he hit a man with a PVC pipe in October last year at a Wallsend home and fled the scene.
He was later arrested on Victory Parade.
