A MAN who hit a friend who then fell through a charity shop window, and knocked a man "senseless" in a separate attack, has been jailed for six months.
Stephen Rusher, aged 24, of Coronation Street, Evesham, appeared before Worcester Magistrates Court yesterday charged with unlawful and malicious wounding and criminal damage.
He also faced charges of common assault and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Rusher pleaded guilty to all four charges at an earlier hearing.
Prosecuting, Stephen Harris said Rusher was drinking at the Green Dragon, in Evesham, on March 2 when he got into an argument with Lee Knight.
"This led to Rusher striking Mr Knight in the face, who said the blow was sufficiently hard to knock him senseless," said Mr Harris.
Mr Harris said both Rusher and Mr Knight were ejected from the premises. Mr Knight was thrown on the pavement by the bouncer.
He said Rusher had then chased Mr Knight with some friends through a car park.
By the time Mr Knight came round "he was suffering from quite nasty bruising to his face, body, jaw in particular and his shoulder," said Mr Harris.
Mr Harris said on a separate occasion, Rusher was drinking with friends and had "suddenly become argumentative" with Dean Smith, hitting him on the side of the head.
"When they got outside the British Heart Foundation shop Rusher hit him again and Mr Smith lost his balance and fell through the shop window," said Mr Harris.
Mr Smith was taken to hospital suffering from cuts to his ears, forehead and arms.
In mitigation, Chris Hilton said it was uncertain whether some of Mr Knight's injuries were as a result of him having been thrown out of the pub.
"My client does, however, accept that he acted in an inappropriate way by punching Mr Knight," said Mr Hilton.
"With regards to Mr Smith, he and my client were friends of long standing and it was not an intended act, it was one of recklessness. His intention was to physically impose his masculinity by pushing and shoving and winning the argument in that way but it went too far."
Rusher was sentenced to five months' imprisonment for unlawful and malicious wounding and two months for using threatening behaviour, three months for common assault and two months for criminal damage, to run concurrently.
He was also sentenced to 28 days imprisonment for non-payment of fines to run consecutively.
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