A man has been ordered to pay £2,000 compensation to a victim he left with a broken arm and facial injuries after they met at a club opening in Huddersfield.

Leeds Crown Court heard there was old history between the defendant Lee Baxter and Lee Gerrard stemming from years earlier over a parking dispute outside Baxter’s grandmothers.

Ian Brook, prosecuting, said Mr Gerrard had been invited by the owner to the opening of Club Fusion on November 19 last year and during the evening realised Baxter was also present.

At one point Mr Gerrard went outside for a cigarette and Baxter approached him saying: “Have you got a problem?”

He told Baxter he did not but Baxter referred back to the previous incident years earlier saying Mr Gerrard should not have called his grandmother “an old witch.”

Mr Brook said the complainant commented there were “two sides to every story” and suggested talking about it. A witness heard him saying it was all in the past but Mr Gerrard said he was then punched in the face.

The witness described him striking back which Mr Gerrard denied but Baxter then subjected him to a sustained assault punching him so fast it was like “a jack hammer.”

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Baxter was arrested and Mr Gerrard was taken to hospital where he was found to have a broken arm and facial injuries including a fracture to the orbital floor of his left eye.

Carl Kingsley, representing Baxter, said he had been close to his grandmother who had died some years ago and he had unresolved grief issues over that.

He had not expected to see Mr Gerrard that night and realised he had been unwise to go and speak to him about the previous incident.

Mr Kingsley said: “He bitterly regrets putting himself in that situation.”

Baxter worked as a van courier and had already saved £600 for compensation. He also had references from people who knew him as an amateur cricketer.

Mr Kingsley added: “He was highly thought of and had a clean disciplinary record through 20 years.”

Mr Kingsley said Baxter was now coaching young cricketers and it was not known if that would be affected by his conviction.

Baxter, 42 of Longwood Road, Longwood, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to 20 months in prison suspended for two years with 150 hours unpaid work in addition to the compensation.

Recorder Taryn Turner said it was “an ugly incident” during which Mr Gerrard suffered serious injury, adding that “this was no way to behave” and it might have to be considered whether he was a fit and proper person to teach youngsters.