Not guilty plea over Bondi Beach attack

A man charged over the assault of Sydney man Michael McEwen has pleaded not guilty to affray.

Jamie Ennis, 24, faced Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday where his lawyer, Matthew Lorkin, pleaded not guilty to one count of affray on his behalf.

Mr McEwen, 23, was left fighting for his life with serious head injuries on December 14 after he was viciously assaulted at Bondi Beach.

Police do not allege Ennis assaulted Mr McEwen, but allege he started the confrontation by getting into a verbal altercation with Mr McEwen and grabbing his shirt.

An "unknown assailant", who police allege was drinking with Ennis that evening, then punched and kicked Mr McEwen, who has since woken from his coma and continues to recover in rehabilitation.

The court has heard Ennis was on bail at the time of the incident over a serious assault in which he allegedly wielded a machete at Bondi last September.

That matter is expected to be heard in March.

He was granted bail earlier this month by Magistrate Michael Barko, who said the prosecution case against him in the McEwen case was weak and alleged Ennis had done "nothing more serious than ripping the victim's shirt".

As a result, Mr Lorkin on Tuesday sought to delete one of Ennis's bail conditions that he report to police daily, arguing it was "disproportionate" to the charge.

"If he is sentenced before the court in relation to that matter ... for ripping a shirt, he would not go to jail," Mr Lorkin said,

"He would be on some form of (good behaviour) bond at worst."

But Deputy Chief Magistrate Jane Culver disagreed, saying she believed the prosecution had a strong case against Ennis and he could face a "lengthy jail sentence" if found guilty.

She said she was particularly concerned Ennis was already on bail over a "serious offence" at the time Mr McEwen was attacked and he had previous issues when it came to complying with bail conditions.

"It's difficult to see how this is a matter where the circumstances have so changed as to justify a watering down of these conditions," she said as she dismissed the application.

However, the magistrate granted a bail variation to allow Ennis to enter Bondi between the hours of 5.30am and 7.30pm in the course of his work as a removalist.

The matter will return to court on March 4.