A 20-year-old who kicked a man in the head after knocking him down in Worcester city centre was warned he had come very close to going to prison.

Christopher Read attacked Wayne Haden in Angel Street after the pair clashed in Images nightclub.

Read, who had drunk eight pints of lager, left the victim spitting blood, said Kerry Moreton, prosecuting.

Block paver Mr Haden was taken to hospital with a mouth wound. He also had face, arm and teeth injuries.

Read, of Skiddaw Close, Warndon, Worcester, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Haden and causing him actual bodily harm.

He was sentenced to eight months jail, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay £300 compensation to the victim, £250 court costs and perform 100 hours of unpaid work.

Recorder Mark Evans QC told him: "This happened in full view of members of the public. I have thought long and hard whether you should go to prison. You have come very close."

Father-of-two Read and 21-year-old Mr Haden confronted each other in the club on March 9 before Mr Haden was ejected, said Miss Moreton.

He went to get a kebab and then hailed a taxi. But as the cab stopped in Angel Street and he began getting out, Read hauled him to the ground then punched, kicked and headbutted him.

The victim was too drunk to offer any resistance but the violence was caught on CCTV which was shown at Worcester Crown Court.

Read, who was arrested in the early hours nearby, told police he had been headbutted himself in Images and when he saw Mr Haden get out of the cab he lost control and "went ballistic".

Tim Sapwell, defending, claimed Read had reacted because of the earlier incident. There had been a history of trouble between the men.

He said Read was a night-shift worker whose take-home weekly pay was £250.