A man was brutally attacked by a random stranger as he waited for a bus in Blackbird Leys, a court heard.

Karl Scale had taken umbrage when he was told by the man whom he would go on to assault to leave a paramedic, who was treating a third man, alone.

The 34-year-old appeared to take the fact his victim had removed his jacket on the hot April day as an invitation to launch his violent attack.

“You want to fight? Why did you take off your jacket,” Scale demanded.

Despite leaving the victim with a scar across his face after knocking him cold, Scale was spared an immediate prison sentence when his case was dealt with at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday (August 31).

Judge Maria Lamb imposed 10 months’ imprisonment suspended for a year and a half. As part of the sentence, he was ordered to complete a mental health treatment programme, up to 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and pay £600 in compensation.

A restraining order prevents him from contacting the victim for 18 months.

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Prosecuting, Sarita Basra told the court that the victim had been minding his own business, waiting at a bus stop in Blackbird Leys on April 4.

“There was a young gentleman who was being assisted by paramedics and the defendant seemed to be getting in the way of the paramedics,” Ms Basra said.

“So the victim spoke to the defendant and said ‘leave the man alone, he’s busy working’.”

The defendant appeared to take exception to being told to stop what he was doing, the court heard.

He got ‘within spitting distance’ of the man and demanded: “You from Jamaica?” The victim, who was eager to avoid any confrontation, took off his jacket as it was a warm day. Scale asked: “You want to fight? Why did you take off your jacket?” The victim said he was not fighting and asked to be left alone.

The bus arrived at the stop and the victim was about to get on it when he was told in no uncertain terms by Scale that he was ‘not going on the bus’.

He was pulled from behind and fell to the ground. The defendant got on top of him and threw repeated punches at his face. The victim tried to protect himself using his arms, but blacked out.

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The victim was helped by the paramedics called to the other man. It transpired he had broken his nose and had a nasty scar on his forehead.

Scale, of Barns Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing actual bodily harm.