A MAN who has appeared before the courts 33 times was jailed after being captured carrying out a vicious assault on CCTV.

Robert James McCrystal attacked a man who stood up for a woman who McCrystal verbally abused.

He also later punched and bit another man on a night out in Weymouth town centre.

McCrystal, 26, pleaded guilty to assaulting Tom Godwin and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Paul Talbot on June 5.

The 26-year-old, of Holly Road, Weymouth, also admitted failing to surrender to bail when he failed to appear for a previous hearing in September and a further failure to surrender in June.

Dorchester Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of the night the assaults took place in Weymouth town centre by prosecutor Carolyn Branford-Wood.

She said that Mr Godwin had reproached McCrystal for the language he used towards a young woman outside the Rendezvous Bar in St Thomas Street shortly before the attack took place.

From the CCTV it can be seen that several other people joined in the incident before the group broke up and Mr Godwin and Mr Talbot walked off through a passageway towards the harbourside.

The prosecution described how McCrystal and others moved away from the scene before returning and followed Mr Godwin and Mr Talbot through the passageway where the attack on Mr Talbot took place.

Rendezvous staff were alerted to the incident and managed to detain McCrystal until police arrived.

Mr Talbot received bruising to his eye and a bite on his chest.

Judge Roger Jarvis heard that McCrystal had a history of offending and had appeared 33 times at different courts including several appearances for assault.

In mitigation David Richards said that McCrystal had entered his guilty plea early.

He added: “It was a relatively brief incident coming from a heated argument.”

In his sentencing Judge Jarvis said: “You are 26 years old with what can only be described as a dreadful record of previous convictions.”

He added: “The offence itself was very nasty. I don’t know what your role model is but you appear to others to be a bully.”

Judge Jarvis gave McCrystal two years in prison for the assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Mr Talbot and six months for the assault on Mr Godwin to run concurrently.

He then gave McCrystal one month for failing to surrender and two months for failing to attend court in September.

The total sentence was two years and three months in prison. A total of 72 days McCrystal has already spent on remand will count towards the sentence.