A MAN was seriously injured when he hit his head on the ground after being punched in the face outside an Ipswich nightclub, a court has heard.

Jordan Sheppard, 20, had a blood clot on his brain and spent 12 days in Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge following the attack outside Vodka Revolution bar, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Before the court was Dale Battley, 34, of Dover Road, Ipswich, who admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Sheppard on September 2 last year.

Juliet Donovan told the court that Mr Sheppard had gone to the bar with friends and there had been an argument between his group and another group which had developed into a “Western-style brawl” with stools being thrown and glasses broken.

Outside the bar Mr Sheppard approached Battley and the defendant punched him in the face causing him to fall over and hit his head on the ground.

Mr Sheppard was knocked unconscious in the incident and after being treated at Addenbrooke’s hospital for a blood clot on his brain needed speech therapy. Miss Donovan said Battley had no previous convictions and told police he had tried to stop the brawl inside the bar.

He also told police he had seen Mr Sheppard outside the bar and had hit him in the face after Mr Sheppard had hit him.

Battley was given a 10-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to pay £3,000 compensation to Mr Sheppard.

Sentencing him, Recorder Francis Laird QC said he had narrowly avoided being sent straight to prison.

He said he felt able to suspend the sentence because of Battley’s guilty plea, his previous good character and the fact that Mr Sheppard and his mother had both said they did not necessarily want him to be sent to prison.

Richard Atchley, for Battley, said his client felt genuine remorse for what he had done and had acted out of character.