TWO men fought in the streets of Evesham after a pellet gun fired and hit an antiques shop.

George Frangeskou bought the gun after his friend was attacked, Worcester Magistrates Court heard.

Mark Soper, prosecuting, said the incident took place on Saturday, October 19 last year, on High Street, Evesham, when Keith Troth had been out with friends in the town.

The prosecutor told the court that Mr Troth heard "something hit the metal shutter of the shop by him," then he saw the 20-year-old defendant with a silver pistol.

"Mr Troth was quite upset because he felt himself to be at some risk," said Mr Soper.

"He challenged Mr Frangeskou about the incident saying he could have lost an eye."

He added that Frangeskou had "bought the gun for protection, " and a fight took place between the two men and "the gun was discharged a number of times."

Judith Kenney defending at Friday's hearing, said Frangeskou, the son of a Greek Cypriot father and English mother had come to England to "leave behind him peer groups involved with drugs."

She said her client was "paranoid about his safety because a friend was beaten up two or three months previously in a racist attack."

"He believed he had emptied all the chambers of the pellets," she said.

Miss Kenney said Frangeskou, who is currently serving a 20-month detention for a separate wounding and affray charge, had been depressed, had made two suicide attempts and "had heard voices in his head."

At a previous hearing Frangeskou, of Merstow Green, Evesham, admitted possession of a loaded air weapon in a public place. A charge of affray was dropped.

Magistrates sentenced him to a four months custodial sentence to run concurrently with his present sentence.