A LOWESTOFT man knocked a man unconscious with a spade and then hit him twice more as he lay motionless on the ground, a court has heard.

Jane Hunt

A LOWESTOFT man knocked a man unconscious with a spade and then hit him twice more as he lay motionless on the ground, a court has heard.

Jason Newrick took Paul Salmon by surprise when he appeared from the side of a house and hit him with the spade during a feud between their families, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

While Mr Salmon lay unconscious on the ground outside his partner's house in Lowestoft, Newrick hit him twice more with the spade and then “dug” the end into his neck causing a cut, said Neil Macaulay, prosecuting.

Mr Salmon was taken to hospital by ambulance after his partner called “999”.

In a statement read to the court Mr Salmon said that since the incident in May last year he had suffered psychological and physical problems including pain in his shoulder, neck and spine, loss of sensation in his hand, memory loss and depression.

He also said he had been unable to work and estimated his financial loss as £4,550.

Newrick, 28, of Harris Avenue, Lowestoft admitted affray and was sentenced to a 12 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 50 hours unpaid work in the community. He was also ordered to attend an anger replacement therapy course.

Sentencing Newrick, Judge David Goodin described the attack on Mr Salmon as “savage”.

Mr Macaulay told the court Mr Salmon had gone out of his partner's house in the early hours of May 13 last year after they were awoken by a man banging the front door.

As he stepped outside Newrick had appeared from the side of the house and hit him on the side of the face with a spade.

Michelle Clarke for Newrick said the incident arose out of bad feeling between Mr Salmon and her client's family.

She said in January this year Mr Salmon had admitted disorderly behaviour when he appeared before magistrates and in addition to a 12 month community order he had been banned from going to Harris Avenue, Lowestoft which is where Newrick's family live.

She said although there was a history of bad feeling between the men's families the incident with the spade was the first time anything had occurred between Newrick and Mr Salmon.

“It was wrong and he is sorry for what he did,” said Miss Clarke.

She said Newrick was in a stable relationship and was in the process of rebuilding his life.