A THUG who was out of prison on licence kicked a ‘helpless’ victim in the head.

Nathan Jones, pictured, aged 22, set upon a pair of friends near the Esso garage in King Street, Weymouth, on the night of January 28 this year.

He knocked one unconscious with a 'considered and purposeful' kick to the head and bit another in the arm, Dorchester Crown Court heard. Part of the incident, including the kick, was captured on video by a witness who called the police.

It shows how Jones, of no fixed abode, takes a step back before kicking the victim, who is already on the floor.

Jones was jailed in 2011 for robbing a young woman at knife point in a late-night attack in Dorchester.

Sentencing Jones for his latest crime, Judge Roger Jarvis told him he should be 'ashamed' of himself.

Jones admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault by beating and failing to surrender to bail when he appeared before Weymouth Magistrates in May and was brought before crown court for sentencing because of the seriousness of the offences. He was on licence when he followed the group of friends from outside Weymouth train station and attacked them, the court heard.

In mitigation, Richard Tutt said Jones was an alcoholic and knew his actions were 'totally unacceptable'. He added: “He accepts that there came a time when he could have walked away from the situation, and he failed to do that.”

He said that being ‘in and out of prison’ is ‘not a life he wants for himself’ and that after his stint in prison Jones plans to move away from Weymouth.

But Judge Jarvis told Jones: “You should know what I suspect is obvious – people are very anxious about young adults, usually men, in drink fighting in public places.

“Ordinary members of the public, never mind the unfortunate victim, just don’t want to be confronted with this sort of behaviour.

“It scares and worries them and one can easily understand why.”

He sentenced Jones to 16 months for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two months for common assault to be served concurrently and two months for failing to surrender, to be served consecutively.

Judge Jarvis added: “Plain it is that the victim was completely helpless.

“You were standing to one side for quite a significant period of time.

“In my judgement, it was a considered and purposeful kick to a helpless person on the ground.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, kicking out at somebody in circumstances like that.”