Stuart Aird, 25, pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury and assault with intention to rob at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The court was told the victim had stepped out of the Karova Lounge to smoke his vapouriser in March 2017 when he saw a woman lying unconscious at an adjacent car park.

Another man was on the phone to the ambulance and the victim stayed to see how he could help.

Meanwhile, the accused approached the victim and asked to try his vape - the victim told him to leave him alone as "I'm trying to help this girl".

The accused repeated "give me your vape", and began punching the victim in the head.

The victim did not fight back, attempting to block with his arms.

Two other men then joined in, and the accused was punched and kicked multiple times.

During the attack, the accused tried to grab the vape out of the victim's hands.

The victim escaped and told a security guard what happened before phoning police - upon identifying the accused, the accused then punched the victim twice more in the face.

When police arrived, Aird absconded.

He later admitted to police he'd had a "big night drinking" but denied attempting to rob the victim.

His defence lawyer noted Aird's limited prior history and that he had since given up heavy drinking, but conceded the offending was "very serious in nature".

Magistrate Ron Saines said if it weren't for the early guilty plea and the historic nature of the offences, Aird would be facing jail time.

"This is not only public violence, but shameful conduct - the victim was trying to help someone in need," he said.

"I hope with or without the consumption of alcohol, you never find yourself drawn into violence again."

Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.