Family members of an elderly man who died after being punched by a stranger in an unprovoked attack as he walked through the city have told an Adelaide court of their anger and heartache.
Francesco Candido, 89, was walking along Grote Street in September 2021, when Joel Raymond Page punched him in the head.
Mr Candido fell to the ground and hit his head and died two weeks later in hospital.
Page — who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the month after the attack — previously told the court he was so intoxicated, he could not remember what happened.
Speaking outside of court on Tuesday, Mr Candido's son, Larry, said his family was still struggling with their loss.
"It's a lonely feeling — even though we're together sometimes," he said.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Candido's wife, Giuseppa, said her desire to go on had diminished.
"Looking at him suffer in the hospital made me very upset that a man [who] never hurt anyone had to die this way," Ms Candido said.
"I always feel so lonely and sad."
Verilee Evans — who came across Page in the street and tried to calm him down before the attack — spoke about the trauma she still carried.
"I could see [Page] was very distressed and upset. I actually felt quite sorry for him," Ms Evans said.
"I coaxed him into sitting down and resting against a wall, instead of walking into traffic."
Ms Evans said she called an ambulance for Page, but became concerned about the public when he started yelling and threatening people nearby.
"Joel was on his feet looking to release some aggression," she said.
"I saved Joel from hurting himself, for him to then hurt another, an innocent, elderly man."
Ms Evans said witnessing the crime had shaken her to her core.
The court was told that Page had grown up in a violent household and had lost a previous partner and child in a car accident, which led to a worsening drug habit.
Page was experiencing homelessness at the time of the attack and had a blood alcohol level of 0.170, with methamphetamine and cannabis also in his system.
Prosecutor Mark Alessandrini told the court that Page had a history of punching attacks that extended to crimes interstate.
He told the court that Page would be eligible for a 25 per cent discount for his early guilty plea, but should be subject to a non-parole period of four-fifths of the head sentence.
Page will be sentenced at a later date.
