A MAN with a history of violence who punched and kicked a man inflicting serious injuries has been spared jail.

Jordan Maggs, 29, was given a two-year suspended sentence at Dorchester Crown Court after admitting to inflicting grievous bodily harm on John Runyeard after an incident in Weymouth town centre on April 20 this year.

Prosecuting, Jane Rowley, told the court Maggs, pictured, originally encountered the victim at the Dolce Vita bar as they were both on a night out with their respective friends, before the two groups then bumped in to each other outside Tesco Metro on St Thomas Street about 3am.

Ms Rowley told the court Maggs, from Bridport, punched the victim in the face, forcing him to fall on the ground.

The court was then shown CCTV footage of Maggs kicking Mr Runyeard in the face two times.

Mr Runyeard didn’t go to hospital until the morning after when he started vomiting blood, and he was assessed at Dorset County Hospital where it was found he had a fractured cheekbone, bruising and swelling to his right eye socket and a haemorrhage to his right eye, Ms Rowley told the court.

She added that he needed surgery to repair the fracture and in Mr Runyeard’s victim statement that she read out to the court, he said still suffered from headaches, he has been out of work since August due to depression and anxiety, and he now has trust issues with people he doesn’t know.

She also told the court Maggs had 11 previous convictions for violence, which included when he was sentenced for nine months in prison for attacking his dad in 2010 and when he was given an 18-week suspended prison sentence in May 2013 after pleading to two charges of battery following an incident in Bath in 2012.

Defending, Timothy Shorter told the court: “He was immediately remorseful, admitting to the police he had done it and it was very clear he was extremely remorseful.

“One of the facts of this case is he had realised, in his own way, that this was not how life was supposed to be, and changed his ways.

“He started a new job and began to see how much better life was, but realised on that night he had far, far too much to drink.

“He has cut down on his own drinking, he has made up with his father who confirmed he has changed his ways.

“He has done his best to turn his life around, not to impress the courts but because he has recognised his life cannot go on from drunken incident to drunken incident.”

Maggs was given a two year sentence suspended for two years, ordered to conduct 200 hours of unpaid work, and pay compensation of £1,500.