A MAN needed stitches in his head after he was glassed at a club on his birthday, a court heard.

Aaron Philip Gould, aged 23, of Strodes Lane in Charlton Down, appeared in Weymouth Magistrates' Court on Thursday, August 18, after pleading guilty to one count of assaulting a person thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm and one count of committing an offence whilst subject to a conditional discharge.

Prosecuting, Elizabeth Valera, said that on September 5, 2021, at around 4am, Gould's partner became involved in an altercation with two other girls and that Gould assaulted a man he thought was getting involved.

The court heard that bar staff saw the defendant, with the victim in a chokehold, bring his arm down towards his head and begin to punch him.

Witnesses said they saw Gould with a glass in his hand when he hit the victim in the face and looked down and saw lots of blood.

Ms Valera said that the victim was enjoying himself in The Closet and 'doesn't have a clue what happened'.

In a statement read out to court, Gould said that he was at the club with his ex partner who started to argue with two females.

He said he tried to pull his partner away and thought the male was joining in and grabbed him to pull him away 'in self defence'.

Gould said: "I had a glass of drink in my hand and then overreacted and punched him once. When I hit him I forgot I had a glass in my hand."

The defendant added that he had 'no intention' of hitting him with a weapon.

Ms Valera said that police were called and the victim was said to be 'clearly stunned' and that the attack had taken place on the victim's birthday.

Pictures were shown to the court of the victim's white t-shirt covered in blood as well as a picture of the victim with blood dripping down his face.

The victim was taken to hospital where pieces of glass were taken out of his wound and he received three stitches. It was said that the victim had to go back to the hospital again because further pieces of glass were found in the wound which needed to be taken out and the side of his head restitched.

Mitigating, Simon Lacey, said: "He says he forgot he had a glass in his hand when he struck the gentleman once.

"He accepts what he has done and he accepts that it was wrong. He demonstrates a high level of remorse.

"He would like to apologise directly to the victim."

Chair of the bench, Sara Saunders, sentenced Gould to 24 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months. He is also subject to an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement for 90 days and must undertake 10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days as well as 200 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay £800 in compensation to the victim as well as a £128 victim surcharge and £85 towards costs.