A man who ran up behind a man and hit him on the head with a hammer after a night out in a Suffolk town has been jailed for six months.

Gary Chinn had been drinking in the Five Bells pub in Brandon with work colleagues and during the evening there had been an altercation, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Chinn had left the pub and picked up a hammer out of his van and as Simon Rolls and his partner, who had played no part in the earlier incident in the pub, were walking home Chinn had run up behind Mr Rolls and hit home over the head with the hammer.

Stephen Mather, prosecuting, said that Mr Rolls fell to the ground and Chinn was seen by witnesses to punch him to the face while he was lying on the ground.

Mr Rolls’ partner intervened and tried to stop the attack and Chinn had dropped the hammer and ran off.

Mr Mather said there hadn’t been any prior confrontation between Mr Rolls and Chinn that evening and the pair had chatted amicably during the evening.

Following the attack Mr Rolls was helped back to the pub and the police and an ambulance were called.

He was taken to hospital and was found to have a large hematoma on his head.

Chinn was found asleep on the ground in Brandon High Street and told officers he’d been drinking since 8pm

Chinn, 36, of Short Heath Road, Birmingham, admitted assaulting Simon Rolls causing him actual bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon in June 2018.

Lynette McClements, for Chinn, said her client was hoping to buy the council house where he had lived with his mother until her death but wouldn’t be able to if he was jailed for more than six months.

She said Chinn had no recollection of what happened and had drunk more than he would normally drink.

She said that prior to the unprovoked attack on Mr Rolls, Chinn had been the victim of an assault by someone else.