6:20am Tuesday 14th July 2009
By John Hoskins
A BIRTHDAY celebration turned sour for a reveller dressed as a Japanese geisha girl when he lost three teeth.
Ryan Lucas ran off when chased in a confrontation between two groups in Southampton city centre but he tripped over his kimono and fell heavily to the ground.
The city crown court heard police were called to the scene in Hanover Buildings where they found a friend, Darrell Stone, lying on the ground unconscious.
He told them he had met Mr Lucas in the city centre where they were later turned away from a nightclub because it was full.
The next thing he could remember was picking himself off the ground where he was twice punched. He had a swelling on his head and suffered pain in his neck, said prosecutor Richard Willcox.
Kevin Seymour, 26, of Geoffrey Crescent, Fareham, admitted causing actual bodily harm to Mr Lucas, and together with Sean Brooks, 25, of Mendips Road, Fareham, pleaded guilty to common assault on Mr Stone.
Seymour – who had a previous conviction for causing actual bodily harm – received a 24-week suspended sentence and told to carry out 150 hours unpaid work. He must also pay £500 compensation to Mr Lucas and £200 costs.
Brooks will also do 150 hours community service.
Kate Fortesque, defending Seymour, said he was shocked and horrified when he saw the extent of Mr Lucas’s injuries in a photo.
For Brooks, Kate Freemantle said he had acted out of character.
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