A man has been accused of behaving like a "drunken thug" after an assault in a town centre.
Gary Orton punched another man in the face after trouble flared in Chelmsford, a court heard.
Orton, 21, had been out in the town with friends at about 2am on February 25 when he saw Philip Clist and friend Matthew Lee in High Street.
Mr Clist was holding a bag of chips and offered it to Orton after he asked for a chip. Orton took one but returned a short while later and was heard to say: "If I want another chip, I'll have one."
Mr Clist handed him the bag to avoid trouble but then felt a hard blow to his right eye and was knocked to the ground, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.
He did not see who hit him but the court heard how Mr Lee got involved and ended up on the ground with Orton as police arrived on the scene.
Orton, of High Cliff Close, Wickford, was arrested at the scene, the court heard.
He admitted causing Mr Lee actual bodily harm when he appeared in court for sentence and was given a 150- hour unpaid work order.
"You behaved like a drunken thug in the streets of Chelmsford. It was a disgraceful incident," Judge Anthony Goldstaub QC told Orton.
Cyrus Shroff, mitigating, said Orton regretted the incident and was a man of previous good character.
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Published Wednesday, November 16, 2005
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