Sydney returned to the "bad old days" with a weekend of booze-fuelled violence in the streets, St Vincent's Hospital's head of emergency says.
Professor Gordian Fulde said that people were "punched, knocked to the ground, also kicked. We had people with their teeth kicked out".
A 32-year-old man was charged over an attack outside a fastfood restaurant at Bondi Beach that left a young man badly injured. The man was charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm after allegedly punching 21-year-old Jake Stephenson in the back of the head and kicking him in the chest as he lay on the ground.
Stephenson was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital and placed in an induced coma. He was released from hospital but will need ongoing treatment. His alleged attacker turned himself in.
Fulde says there were a few similar attacks at the weekend. He believes warm weather has brought people out into the streets and says alcohol is behind the attacks. He said there had been a big drop in the number of severe head injuries since the February introduction of lock-out laws until now.
