A man and woman have been refused bail amid allegations they bashed a 25-year-old man before spitting on him in an unprovoked, late-night attack in Nowra.
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The complainant was taken to hospital after sustaining "grave" facial injuries.
The alleged attackers, Ebony May Flood and Patrick James Braddick, are accused of tripping the man over on Kalandar Street about 12.10am on Saturday before hitting him in the back of the head while he lay on the ground.
Flood, 27, and Braddick, 29, allegedly repeatedly punched the man, spat on his face, and attempted to steal his belongings, with Braddick allegedly using knuckle dusters during the incident.
It's also alleged Braddick threatened to kill the man.
Flood and Braddick faced Wollongong Local Court on Sunday, where the registrar said the man was not known to the alleged perpetrators.
"They've essentially assaulted him for no reason," Registrar Leah Harvey said when considering bail.
Police attended the scene following reports someone had been assaulted, with paramedics treating the man for facial injuries.
Flood and Braddick were arrested at a home in Nowra on Saturday afternoon.
Flood is yet to enter formal pleas to robbery in company, while Braddick was charged with robbery armed with an offensive weapon, using a prohibited weapon without a permit, and possessing a prohibited drug.
Defence lawyer Georgia Campbell said Flood was on bail at the time of the incident for a separate alleged assault, which she will defend in an upcoming hearing.
Ms Campbell indicated Flood's intention to defend the fresh allegations from Saturday, citing that while the incident was caught on CCTV, there were problems with identifying her clients due to it being dark.
However, police prosecutor Sergeant Dane Corran argued the case against the pair was strong due to police finding them wearing the same clothing as depicted in the CCTV footage when they were arrested.
Sgt Corran said there were issues Flood and Braddick would fail to appear in court if released on bail, due to Flood being found hiding under a bed before she was arrested.
He said Braddick also had a history of non-compliance with court orders, with six warrants for his arrest having been issued in the past.
"This is an unprovoked attack on a member of the community going about his business," Sgt Corran said.
Ms Campbell argued Flood and Braddick needed to be at liberty to review the CCTV and prepare their case, adding they would face a lengthy period of time on remand before being able to test the allegations.
The registrar said the alleged offending was "extremely alarming" and was not satisfied any bail conditions could mitigate the risk of endangering the safety of the community.
Bail was refused and Flood and Braddick will return to Nowra Local Court on Monday.
Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
