A MAN who tried to intervene in an argument between a couple ended up being punched to the floor and having his head stamped on.

Burnley Crown Court heard victim Mervyn Adams, 42, has no recollection of the incident which resulted in him having a double fracture to the jaw.

But his attacker Shubasish Ray, 25, of Dane Street, Burnley, conceded he had assaulted Mr Adams and told police he only stopped when he saw his victim was bleeding.

The court heard Mr Adams came across what he described as a ‘couple having a domestic’ in St James’s Street, Burnley, at 6am on July 17, last year.

Prosecuting Stephen Parker said: “He heard voices as if it was kicking off. After that he really could not recollect anything apart from waking up on the floor and being assisted by a woman.”

Mr Parker said the only independent witness to the assault was Bradley Spencer who had just got into a taxi following a night out with friends and heard shouting.

Mr Parker said: “It was becoming daylight. He heard something going on. He heard voices shouting. That caused him to get out of the taxi to see what was going on. As he did he says he saw the defendant carrying out an assault on Mr Adams.”

Ray was arrested and interviewed the following day and accepted he was responsible for the assault, the prosecutor said.

Mr Parker said: “He and his girlfriend had become involved in a domestic. He said the complainant became involved in something which was none of his concern. The complainant was becoming difficult. He remembers him saying racist stuff.

“The defendant told the complainant to move on. He told him several times to go away and he didn’t do so. At that point the defendant said he assaulted the complainant.

“He punched him to the floor, punched him twice when he was on the floor and kicked him when he was on the floor. He only stopped when in his own words he thought ‘right he’s bleeding now’.”

Mr Adams was taken to hospital for treatment on his fractured jaw which did not require surgery. He did not attend any follow-up appointments.

Ray pleaded guilty to wounding with intent on the day of trial.

Gerard Doran, defending, said: “Mr Ray accepted immediately responsibility for the assault. He gave a consistent account in his police interview to explain the injuries caused to Mr Adams.

“Around the time of the incident he himself was the victim of a bottle attack. He doesn’t know whether that produced an overreaction in this case.”

Judge Beverley Lunt jailed Ray for four years.