A 'COWARDLY' man who kicked a homeless man in the face has been recalled to prison to serve the rest of his sentence after displaying 'poor behaviour'.

Kevin Bird was jailed for eight years in December 2014 for assault occasioning grievous bodily harm with intent (section 18) after kicking homeless man Justin McEvoy in the face, breaking his eye socket and cheekbone.

He was released at the halfway point of his sentence but broke the terms of his licence, was arrested following a successful appeal by West Mercia Police and transferred to HMP Hewell to serve the remainder of his sentence.

The conditions of his licence were that he was to reside each night at an approved premises but had failed to return and had also displayed poor behaviour whilst resident there an officer from West Mercia Police confirmed.

He has only served just over half of the eight years so will need to go to a parole hearing for any further release.

Bird was convicted after a trial of the assault in Mealcheapen Street, Worcester in May 2014.

Bird, whose last known address was Byfield Rise off Tallow Hill in Worcester but who has links to the city's Dines Green, kicked Mr McEvoy in the face causing a fractured eye socket and cheekbone. Bird denied the charge. He said he had punched Mr McEvoy in self defence because he thought he was going to be attacked with needles he had in his pocket.

At the time the attack was branded 'cowardly and unprovoked' by the judge who sentenced him.

Judge Abbas Mithani QC said at the time: "You kicked him in the face for no other reason than you thought a person like him could be treated contemptuously and disdainfully,"

He told Bird. "You thought he would not complain and if he did, the police would not take him seriously. You were wrong on both counts."

DC Tom Court said after the hearing: "The Kevin Bird appeal had a fantastic response from the community, with it being shared 92 times and reaching a staggering 19,000 people.

"Within minutes Kevin Bird responded to the post and made himself available.

"Thanks to the support of our community in sharing the post, Kevin Bird handed himself in the following morning, and was return to HMP."