A VIOLENT thug who repeatedly kicked a man in the head has been jailed.James Harvey, 20, of no fixed address, denied an assault charge, but was found guilty at an earlier trial hearing.

A VIOLENT thug who repeatedly kicked a man in the head has been jailed.

James Harvey, 20, of no fixed address, denied an assault charge, but was found guilty at an earlier trial hearing.

Harvey was sentenced at South East Suffolk Magistrates Court to six months in prison after the attack on May 29.

Magistrates had already heard how Harvey had been convicted of another assault less than six months ago.

Stephen Colman, prosecuting, told the court Carl Bagley was attacked after his fiancee barmaid was abused by a group of rowdy youths.

She was working behind the bar at the Harlequin pub in Stoke Park Drive, Ipswich, on the night of the incident.

The gang of youths gathered outside the pub at about 8.45pm and became abusive when asked to leave.

Mr Colman said: "Mr Bagley said to the group 'you have been asked nicely, please go.'

"At that point he was punched in the mouth by one of the group – the defendant."

The youths left the pub but Mr Bagley ran after them, but fell over during the oursuit.

Mr Colman said: "As he landed, Harvey approached him and kicked him once in the right ear and three times in the forehead."

The assault left the victim with a swollen upper lip, three loose teeth and a bloodied ear.

He also had six scratch marks to his forehead and a cut near his left eye from the incident that lasted "a couple of moments".

Graham Skippen, mitigating, said: "This defendant did run away initially and it was not a prolonged attack."

Bench chairman Eric McCoy told Harvey: "We have decided your offence is so serious that only custody is justified.

"This was an assault in a public place, kicking was involved including three kicks to the head while a person was on the ground and it was your second similar offence in recent months."