A VIOLENT thug who left a man unconscious after punching him so hard that he knocked two of his teeth out has walked free from court.

Leonard Squires launched the attack on the man after the victim had made a derogatory comment towards his girlfriend as he the victim walked through a car park in Darlington.

The 22-year-old, who moved to the area to get away from his troubled past, was warned he was lucky not to have been facing a more serious charge after his victim was knocked unconscious for ‘three to four minutes’.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the trouble flared after the victim made inappropriate comments to Squires’ girlfriend and he got out of his car and told him to 'f*** off'.

After his arrest, Matthew Hopkins, prosecuting, said Squires told police he punched the man as he thought the victim may attack him.

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Mr Hopkins said: "The defendant then punched him in the face knocking him unconscious and causing him to fall to the ground where he lay motionless. From the CCTV it is clear the victim had his hands beside him and it was the defendant who stepped towards him.

"The defendant didn't check on the victim and simply walked away. The victim was unconscious for about three to four minutes and was lying on his side bleeding from his mouth and nose. There was a pool of blood under his head and one of his teeth lay in it."

Squires, of Victoria Road, Darlington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm following the incident that took place in the late hours of March 11.

Michele Turner, in mitigation, said her client had moved to the area to get away from his troubled start to life and was working with local agencies to address his issues.

Judge Christopher Smith sentenced Squires to 20 weeks in custody, suspended for 18 months.

He said: "I know you moved to this area to start afresh and I know you have done really well trying to put behind you the difficulties of your past, so I'm hoping this is just a blip.

“It’s a nasty one - you lost your temper and punched that man very hard. You knocked his teeth out, I dare say that they will never be right again, and you knocked him unconscious.”

The judge added: “When you knock people unconscious, they fall and hit their heads, it is years in prison for manslaughter.”

The defendant was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and attend 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

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