Drunkard Aiden Maclean avoided jail after taking revenge on the woman when a street fight broke out between a group of people in St James's Road, Somerstown, just a short walk from the police station and courts.
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Portsmouth Crown Court heard how an argument began on the street outside the Spar store between Maclean's girlfriend and the victim, who was with her boyfriend, at around 6.45pm on May 8 last year.
A witness, who was in the Spar store, said the two women were in the street shouting and passersby were “inciting” them to fight. “It reminded me of a school playground. It was pathetic,” he said.
The witness said the victim was "talking" during the altercation when Maclean, 27, of Harleston Road, erupted in a torrent of merciless violence that left the shocked witness fearing the worst. "The bare-chested man (Maclean) had enough and began punching (the victim) in the head with his closed fist," the witness said in a statement read to the court.
She continued: “He continued to punch her in the face… the force caused her to hit a wall. I had never seen anyone hit so hard and for so long in my life.
“No one else seemed to be worried. I thought I was going to die. I yelled (at Maclean): “Stop, you're going to kill her.”
The witness then stepped between Maclean and the victim to prevent further blows. And he added: “His breathing was slow and at one point I worried for his life.”
Speaking of the attack, the witness said: “(Maclean) appeared to lose control of his temper. “It was terrifying to see.” He later identified the defendant in an identification parade after his arrest.
The victim was left with bruises on his head and chest and suffered a suspected fracture of his eye socket. But by not attending a medical follow-up, doctors were unable to confirm whether she had suffered a socket fracture. It meant Maclean was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm rather than the more serious charge of grievous bodily harm, prosecutor Matthew Lawson said.
The victim said of the attack: “I don't remember much. I just remember feeling pain in my face and head and being on the ground. The next thing I remember is being covered in blood.”
Judge Michael Bowes KC said the attack was “wholly unjustified” and was “prolonged and persistent” before adding: “This was an extremely unpleasant and violent episode. It was fortunate that his injuries were not more serious.”
Autistic Maclean admitted the assault caused him actual bodily harm and, according to the judge, had "accepted that what he did was completely wrong". Since then, the defendant had made efforts to “fix his life” and was now working to prevent any further crime.
Judge Bowes gave Maclean a 21-month sentence suspended for two years with 30 days rehabilitation and ordered him to pay £500 compensation to his victim.
