Harni Shamri, 37, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to assault, assault with a weapon and criminal damage.
Prosecutor Senior Constable Luke Lund told the court Shamri saw his victim outside a Shepparton house on November 3, 2020, and asked him why he spat on him three days earlier.
The court heard the man denied the allegations and Shamri pushed the man backwards, causing him to fall over.
Shamri then grabbed a tomahawk from his car and ran back towards his victim, Sen Constable Lund said.
The man then got in his own car and Shamri hit the window twice with the axe.
A second man, who was with the victim, tried to stop Shamri but Shamri swung the axe at the man’s arm, grazing it, Sen Constable Lund said.
He then swung the axe at the victim, who was sitting in the car, and hit him on the nose.
The court heard Shamri told police he was trying to “defend” himself and that he did not have a weapon.
Shamri’s solicitor Ian Michaelson told the court his client, a father-of-five, “had a different version of what happened”, but he pleaded guilty and the police summary was not contested.
Mr Michaelson said there was 12 months between the incident and summons being filed and there had been no further incidents regarding Shamri.
Magistrate Marita Altman said Shamri’s behaviour was “unacceptable” and fined him $1000 as well as ordering him to pay $84.40.
“Violence between men in the community for a stupid thing is not to be tolerated,” Ms Altman said.