A 21-year-old man suffered head injuries in a late-night fight in Evesham town centre last July, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Luke Slade had been socialising with a friend and they had each downed five pints of cider, said Paul Whitfield, prosecuting.

Trouble started when a remark was made as Stuart Delaney walked past with his girlfriend in Vine Street after they had been to a wedding reception.

This led to blows although Mr Slade had no recollection of what had happened, said Mr Whitfield. Delaney became aggressive and admitted kicking Mr Slade in the face as he lay on the floor.

Delaney, 22, of Marrion Croft, Sheldon, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm. He was given a 34-week jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 240 hours unpaid work.

James Dunstan, defending, said that although Delaney had been drinking at the reception, he was not drunk and had not acted in a loutish way. He was hard-working and had become a father three months ago.

Judge Alistair McCreath acknowledged that Mr Delaney had felt threatened but he should have ignored the remark and walked on.

A kick to the head normally resulted in custody but there was an element of self-defence.