A HOMELESS man stabbed a 'drug dealer' accused of being a paedophile in the buttock with a crushed metal can, causing him to scream in pain.

Daniel Joseph carried out the attack near Westbury Pocket Park, Westbury Street, Worcester, punching his victim in the face and then jabbing at him with the can.

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The 46-year-old, now of no fixed abode but previously of Gamekeepers Drive, Brickfields, was sentenced over videolink from HMP Hewell at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday after he admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Although sentenced to 16 months in custody, the time Joseph has already spent on remand means he will be released immediately and intends to stay with a friend in Kidderminster, according to his advocate, Andrew Davidson. The attack happened on July 5 last year.

Chris O'Gorman, prosecuting, said two sisters had witnessed the attack from their home, initially seeing two women shouting at the victim, Mohammed Hussain, who was sitting on a bench in the park. Mr O'Gorman said the women were 'accusing Mr Hussain of being a paedophile and using various other words to describe him as a sex offender.'

He said: "This defendant. at some stage during these accusations being thrown, ran over to Mr Hussain and assaulted him in this way. According to the statement of the witness he punched him with both fists, got on top of the complainant and continued to throw what looked like punches.

"She could not see how many times he punched him. She would say at least 10 times."

During the course of the struggle, Mr Hussain went to the ground. "All that could be heard from that vantage point were painful screams," said Mr O'Gorman.

Police and the ambulance service were called. Joseph accepted 'that he used a crushed can to inflict the injuries.'

The injuries were described as wounds to the left buttock, 2cm by 1.5cm, and injuries to the right thigh which were stitched at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

A wound to the right elbow also had to be glued. In interview Joseph said he knew 'nothing about the stabbing' and he had been 'approached by the complainant, expecting to be attacked'.

Joseph said there was a fight on the ground between them, 'both delivering punches'. "Later on he admitted using a crushed can to jab at the complainant's legs," said Mr O'Gorman.

Andrew Davidson, defending, said the comments made by the two women had nothing to do with the defendant's attack.

"He just knew that Mr Hussain was a drug dealer and, on a previous occasion, had taken money and possessions from him like sleeping bags and that sort of thing," said Mr Davidson.