A man who was knocked unconscious in a confrontation outside a Holmfirth takeaway was subsequently found to have a small bleed on the brain, a court heard.

Daniel Barden spent three days in hospital before being released and suffered dizziness and nausea months later, David Mackay prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court today.

Sam Monks, 21, of St Anne’s Square, Netherthong, admitted assaulting Mr Barden on December 12 last year and was given a six month prison sentence suspended for 12 months with 160 hours unpaid work. He was ordered to pay £500 compensation.

Mr Mackay told the court Mr Barden and a friend had been drinking in Holmfirth and he remembered being in a takeaway and ending up in hospital.

Another man was ejected from the takeaway and bumped into various people.

CCTV then showed some pushing between the friend of Mr Barden and Monks before another man with a ponytail grabbed Mr Barden’s friend round the neck and they ended up on the ground where another person punched him.

Monks had swung a punch which did not appear to land and was going towards them when Mr Barden blocked his way.

“At that point this defendant delivered a left hook to Mr Barden’s face which knocks him to the floor unconscious,” said Mr Mackay.

Initially at hospital Mr Barden was diagnosed as having a graze on his scalp but when he returned in pain the next morning bruising was seen on the right side and the bleeding on the brain was found.

Carl Kingsley, representing Monk, said he had never been in trouble before and had not gone out with his girlfriend that evening looking for it because they were due to go to Paris together the next day.

He had not started the violence but had tried to intervene when two of his friends were in an argument.

“Somebody he doesn’t know intervened, that is the man who was dragged to the floor by somebody else,” said Mr Kingsley. “Having aimed a blow that does not land he then found himself being approached by the other man who has someone pulling him back. The defendant turns and lands a blow to his chin, it is a single blow causing the complainant to go to the floor and receive the injury.”

He said Monks had recently begun a full time job after a three year apprenticeship in welding/engineering and had saved up £500 compensation to pay to the victim.

Sentencing Monks, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC said: “You got yourself involved in an incident not of your starting, the intention was initially noble trying to separate people.”

But he said Monks had then thrown a hard blow at Mr Barden.

The judge added: “That knocked him down, he was unconscious whether from the blow or more probably when he hit his head.”

He said there had to be a jail term but because of his previous good character it could be suspended.