‘Paranoid’ Sutton man attacked barman on Christmas Eve

Craig Soloman was calmed down by staff when he put an empty beer bottle into his back pocket and tried to confront two young women he'd argued with earlier, at The First Post bar, on Brook Street.

But half an hour later he put one of the women in a headlock and when a barman tried to intervene, Soloman punched him in the mouth five or six times, said prosecutor Freddie Sayle.

His victim was left with a bloodied nose and a chipped tooth, and police were called at 11.30am, on December 24, last year.

Officers arrived to find Soloman "squaring off against a crowd" and shouting: "You want some? F*** you."

He walked away, but then returned, swinging his arms and fists aggressively.

He told the police to "f*** off and leave him alone” before he was arrested.

Ryan Higginbotham, mitigating, described Soloman as a "pleasant man" and a regular at the bar, who often tipped well and kept out of trouble.

But he lost his job as a crane driver after encountering mental health problems last year, and although he was now on antidepressants, he has been "self-medicating with copious amounts of alcohol and the recreational use of cocaine."

He said Soloman had been provoked throughout the night and someone threatened him with a bottle. But he "completely lost the plot" after taking cocaine which made him feel paranoid.

"His remorse is genuine and heart-felt," Mr Higginbotham said. "He says he is worried about the level of his drinking."

He said the defendant offered to pay for any dental work his victim might need.

Soloman, 43, of Penn Street, Sutton, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and using threatening words, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Thursday.

He received a 12-month community order, with 20 rehabilitation days and a six month alcohol treatment programme.

He was ordered to pay £200 compensation, wit a £95 surcharge and £85 costs.

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