D'Arcy to be sentenced next month

Australian swimmer Nick D'Arcy must wait another month to find out if he will go to prison for assaulting former Commonwealth Games champion Simon Cowley.

D'Arcy has already pleaded guilty to a charge of recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm on Cowley last year and the judge in charge of the case said he would be sentenced on March 27.

Prosecutors have asked the court to jail D'Arcy but the swimmer's lawyer has requested a non-custodial sentence, arguing that the university student had already suffered enough after losing his place in the Australian swimming team for last year's Beijing Olympics.

Richard Jankowski, D'Arcy's lawyer, requested the court consider not recording a conviction against his client so that he can continue his swimming career overseas.

The 21-year-old D'Arcy is the reigning Australian champion and record holder for 200m butterfly and is hoping to compete at this year's world championships in Rome.

D'Arcy had been celebrating his inclusion in the Australian Olympic team for Beijing last year when a fight broke out at a Sydney nightclub.

D'Arcy struck Cowley once in the face, causing serious injuries, including a broken jaw and nose, fractured eye socket, crushed cheekbone and fractured palate.