Sutton teen was armed with a hatchet when he knocked a dog walker out cold

Kyle Taylor was summoned by a dog walker who was arguing with a married couple on Haven Close, on May 27, last year, said prosecutor Katherine Wilson.

The couple were walking home from the pub and let their small dog off their leash which sparked a verbal argument.

He rang Taylor, saying: "You need to get round here there's some big lad giving it some."

Taylor, aged 18 at the time, ran after the victim who said: "There's no need to start anything. I have apologised," but he punched him twice in the back of his head.

He collapsed and his wife went to the ground with him.

"She thought her husband was dead," said Ms Wilson. “Blood was pouring from his head as he lay on the ground. She couldn't believe what had happened. She has lived in the neighbourhood for some years and this is the first time anything like this has happened."

Taylor walked away without knowing if his victim was dead or alive. He was mildly concussed and left with a large bump and a laceration which had to be glued at hospital.

After Taylor was shown CCTV footage he told police: "He was bladdered and spitting everywhere. I hate victim-playing. The punch didn't do that, the concrete did. Look how p***** he is."

The court heard he has no previous convictions and Taylor's solicitor said the hatchet wasn't brandished or used at the scene.

He said the defendant has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.

“He acted impulsively and committed the offence to protect the other person,” he said. “He immediately regretted his actions afterwards.”

Taylor, now 19, of Ridge Close, Sutton, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on January 2.

Sentencing was adjourned until Thursday when Taylor wept and thanked the presiding magistrate after learning he wasn't going to prison straight away.

He received a 24-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, with a community order that includes 25 rehabilitation days. He must pay £1,000 compensation.