A WINDOW fitter who carried out an unprovoked attack on two men after making a drunken bet with his friends that he could get arrested has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Jane Hunt

A WINDOW fitter who carried out an unprovoked attack on two men after making a drunken bet with his friends that he could get arrested has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Prior to the attack 24-year-old Brett Ives had told a policeman about the bet with his friends but was not arrested by that officer, Ipswich Crown Court heard yesterday.

Later the same night at about 2.30am Ives came across three men he did not know who were waiting for a taxi in Lowestoft.

He then launched an assault on two of the men, Clive Sabbage and Karl Brown, and punched Mr Sabbage in the face.

When police arrived on the scene and tried to calm Ives down he shouted abuse and tried to hit one of the officers - who managed to block the punch and take him to the ground.

Ives was arrested and taken to a police station where he was found to have a Stanley knife on him.

The defendant, of Colville Road, Lowestoft, admitted assaulting a policeman, two offences of common assault and possessing a knife.

He was given a 50 week jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 250 hours unpaid work in the community.

He was also made the subject of a curfew order and ordered to pay £250 compensation to Mr Sabbage and £250 costs.

Judge Peter De Mille said: “The general public is rightly concerned about young people like you who indulge in drink or drug fuelled unprovoked violence.”

He said Ives had attacked two completely innocent people and warned him that if he breached the terms of any of the court orders he was liable to be sent to prison.

Samantha Leigh, for Ives, said he had been at work before going out and had forgotten he still had the Stanley knife on him.

She said he was extremely sorry and ashamed for his behaviour on September 13 and would lose his job if he went to prison.

She said since the incident he had not had any alcohol.