A horrific film of a man being knocked out by a blow in the face was played to a judge at Worcester Crown Court.

The CCTV pictures showed decorator Stephen Barford standing with his hands in his pockets as drunken thug Andrew Sadler suddenly lashed out.

Mr Barford crashed to the ground outside a nightclub in Kidderminster and his head hit the pavement, said Paul Whitfield, prosecuting.

The victim needed 20 stitches in a head wound and further stitches to mend a badly-split lip.

Sadler, aged 22, of Dunlin Drive, Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Jailing him for 20 months, Judge John Cavell described the attack as “a chilling, deliberate act” on an innocent man.

Sadler had a history of violence which included another attack outside a club, illegal possession of a firearm, battery and assault.

Three days before he was jailed for eight weeks for a pub fight, when tables and chairs were hurled around, he attacked Mr Barford on the corner of Dixon Street and New Road, said Mr Whitfield.

The victim had been working in Bewdley before going to Kidderminster for a night out on August 1.

He was drunk but inoffensive when words passed between him and Sadler who landed his first punch which knocked Mr Barford down.

He got up but said to Sadler: “Do that again, I dare you.”

Sadler adopted a boxer’s stance and knocked him out, leaving him covered in blood.

The defendant walked off but was caught by a police patrol. He gave a no comment interview.

Abigail Nixon, defending, said he was badly affected by unresolved grief following the deaths of his father in 2004 and a year later his sister, who took an overdose.

He began drinking heavily and developed an alcohol problem.

Miss Nixon said: “He has an appalling list of convictions for such a young man but has expressed remorse in a letter to the victim.”

He had plans to join the Territorial Army but needed to be conviction-free for the next five years to be considered.