A BULLY who was ordered to pay a woman £500 for beating her up at a dance spent all his money buying drugs, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Heroin addict Mark Congrave had been given a two-year conditional discharge and told to pay the cash to Clare Skidmore.

But he had failed to comply with the order and committed more crimes to fund his habit, admitted his barrister Brett Stevenson.

Congrave, of Wishaw Close, Redditch, pleaded guilty to two thefts and a breach of a conditional discharge. He was jailed for five months.

Miss Skidmore had danced with the defendant but then got into a fight with his girlfriend, said William Rickarby, prosecuting.

Congrave, 23, intervened and hit the victim in the face, causing a cut eyelid.

He had pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm at Gloucester Crown Court on March 30 last year when a judge ordered the compensation.

Since then, he stole toiletries from a Redditch town centre shop and broke into a storage container belonging to Sainsbury's on the Abbey retail park.

He grabbed boxes of crisps, nappies and toilet rolls worth £230, which he sold for £20.

Mr Stevenson said: "He was stealing goods to get money for his addiction. He has not paid any money to Miss Skidmore but has only concentrated on paying out for heroin. But he's clean at the moment and happy to fulfil his obligation towards her."

He added that Congrave's period in custody would give him the chance to rid himself of the drug which was destroying his life.

Judge John Cavell took no action on the breach but said a community penalty was unrealistic. The defendant had already broken one probation order.