As former prison guard Rodney Clavell remains a wanted man in South Australia, his son has been jailed for a string of offences including unprovoked attacks on strangers.

Adelaide Magistrates Court heard Daniel Joel Clavell, 26, had felt aggressive and angry after boosting his steroid dose.

Over four weeks last December and January, he attacked four men.

In one attack, a 50 year-old man was leaving the steam room of a gymnasium when Clavell accused him of being a paedophile.

He punched the man in the face and broke his right eye socket and nose.

In a statement to the court, that victim said he now felt anxious in public.

"I've great difficulty feeling comfortable. When out in public, I don't feel I'll ever feel safe again," he said.

Clavell met an earlier victim at a cafe at Victor Harbor, south of Adelaide.

The court heard the man, 38, was with his wife when he noticed Clavell staring at him.

When the man was leaving the cafe, Clavell punched him twice in the face.

Later, a 67-year-old man walking in Jetty Road at Glenelg was punched in the stomach by Clavell, who also had accused him of being a paedophile.

Another victim lived in the same block of units as Clavell at Glenelg and was confronted by his attacker after collecting his mail from the letterbox.

Clavell called the neighbour a "paedophile dog" and punched him in the face, threatening to bash the man again if he went to the police.

Steroids user since 16

Clavell's lawyer Nikki Conley told the court he was introduced to steroids by his father at about 16.

She said he had increased his dose and was having "heightened feelings of aggression and anger".

She added a "very minor trigger ... caused my client to snap".

Ms Conley said in recent months Clavell had become a Muslim and was studying the Koran.

"His new-found faith has changed his life," she told the court.

"He is a man who wants to implement changes in his life in the future."

Clavell also pleaded guilty to driving offences, including never having had a licence.

Clavell told the court he owed thousands of dollars in fines.

Magistrate Susan O'Connor said the victims had "done nothing wrong ... [and] had not provoked you".

She said Clavell had "picked on perfect strangers and deprived them of their enjoyment of life and feeling of safety".

His sentence of three years and four months has a non-parole term of two years and two months.

Clavell was disqualified from seeking a driver's licence for three years after his release from jail.

He also must pay victims of crime levies, court costs and car impoundment fees.

Daniel Clavell, his father Rodney and another man were convicted of leading a riot at Port Augusta prison in October 2008.