A man has been sentenced for a 'terrifying' assault on another prisoner while they were both detained at Langi Kal Kal in 2019.
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Matthew Kenneth Castles, 35, and a co-accused bound the victim's ankles and wrists together with a belt while the victim was doing an art painting inside his cell room.
The co-accused strapped the victim's ankles to the bed and assaulted him from behind with a paintbrush.
Castles and the co-accused later held down the victim while he was in a common room and flatulated on his head.
It was a drawn out incident and it was very very scary.
- Magistrate Letizia Torres
Castles was also charged with possessing a drug of dependence in Morwell in August 2021.
Police were conducting patrols in an area they believed to be of high drug activity at the time.
Castles pleaded guilty at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court to the drug charge and two assault charges related to prison incident.
Magistrate Letizia Torres said the offending was serious and the assault would have been frightening for the victim.
"I am sure since it happened you have had an opportunity to reflect on that and realise how incredibly terrifying it would have been for the victim," she said.
"It was a drawn out incident and it was very very scary."
The court heard Castles was now living with his brother in Hastings.
He was convicted and sentenced to a 15-month community corrections order at the Ballarat court on Wednesday.
The order has conditions Castles undergo drug treatment and participate in programs to reduce his risk of offending.
Ms Torres said she decided not to imprison Castles because he served his entire prison term without being granted parole and has stayed away from serious trouble since he was released.
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