A MAN whose ‘powerful’ punch left his victim with a fractured skull has been jailed for 13 months.

Joseph James Gibson, 27, was sentenced at Dorchester Crown Court for an offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The charge related to a punch that knocked James Moriarty to the floor in Weymouth town centre at 3am on May 13 last year.

As a result of the punch and the fall Mr Moriarty suffered a fractured skull and the court was told he is still suffering from problems with his memory.

Jennie Rickman, prosecuting, said Gibson – who had been before the courts for a charge of assault against the same victim back in 2007 – had been drinking and was on his way home when he bumped into Mr Moriarty.

She said the pair got into a ‘silly argument’ about the previous incident and Gibson, of Brisbane Road, Weymouth, punched out at Mr Moriarty as he felt he was invading his ‘personal space’, causing his victim to fall to the floor.

Miss Rickman said Mr Moriarty was taken to hospital and a CT scan showed a break to the back of his skull and around his eye socket as well as a brain contusion.

She said he suffered impairment to his language, reading and memory as a result and still suffers from an impaired memory.

Charles Gabb, mitigating, said the attack was the result of a chance encounter between two people with a past history who had both been drinking and his client admitted there was no excuse for his reaction.

He said Gibson, who had since got married and whose second child was due to be born in August, was full of remorse.

Mr Gabb said: “He knows simply that he was wrong and he apologises for that.”

Judge Roger Jarvis told the defendant: “On this particular evening you were in drink and you met up with the unfortunate victim and the two of you argued over a previous incident and you complained that Mr Moriarty was ‘getting in your face’. But the way you resolved that was to strike him with a forceful single blow, apparently rejecting the obvious solution which would have been to turn your back and walk away.

“The effect of that powerful single blow has been profound as far as Mr Moriarty is concerned.”