A MAN who attacked his girlfriend's mum's partner in Upton-Upon-Severn has avoided going to prison.

Ross Tudge, 25, of Quay Lane, Hanley Castle, appeared before magistrates to be sentenced after being found guilty earlier this month of assault and criminal damage.

The charges concerned a fight between Tudge and Stuart Franklin in Upton on April 13, this year.

Magistrates gave Tudge an 18-month community order and ordered him to pay Mr Franklin £1,120 in compensation, along with court costs of £620.

As part of the community order, he must undertake 180 hours unpaid work, in addition to 20 RAR days, along with anger management and alcohol work.

A restraining order was also put in place, preventing Tudge from contacting either Stuart Franklin or his partner Claire Oaten.

Mr Franklin said: "It was the best outcome. That's the best way forward for him. Hopefully it stops him from assaulting people in future. If he went to prison he would probably go down the wrong road."

Mr Franklin and Mrs Oaten wanted to thank the people of Upton for their support following the incident. The former is still awaiting surgery on his shoulder.

The Worcester News reported on the previous hearing, where the court heard how Tudge had gone out with Mr Franklin and Mrs Oaten on the evening of April 13 this year for drinks as he was the partner of Mrs Oaten’s daughter April.

The four had gone out to celebrate April’s upcoming birthday, and Tudge met up with Mr Franklin in the King’s Head pub earlier that evening, where they each had a few pints before meeting up with the two women and going to the Old Butcher Shop wine bar.

While at the wine bar, Tudge and April had a disagreement and Tudge left the bar before the others moved on to the social club for further drinks.

Mr Franklin and Mrs Oaten only stayed at the social club for a few minutes before deciding to return home to their house in Old Street.

At the original hearing on July 5, Mr Franklin told the court: “I got home just before midnight and was just dosing off when I heard some noise downstairs.

“I could hear banging on the door and could hear raised voices.

“Claire shouted me to come down as Ross was trying to force his way in so I came downstairs and could see him on the doorstep.”

As Mr Franklin was telling Tudge to leave, he was punched in the face by Tudge.

In response, Mr Franklin punched Tudge, dislocating his shoulder in the process, and the two tumbled down the steps into Old Street.

At the original trial, magistrates found Tudge guilty of assault, along with his original guilty plea to criminal damage when smashing the windows.

In his defence, Tudge claimed he was acting in self defence, and that Mr Franklin had thrown the first punch.

At the time, Owen Beale, prosecuting, said to Tudge: “If you are a man who has been attacked and defended himself, why did you smash all those windows?

“You weren’t thinking at all were you? You were drunk and angry and you went to the house for an argument in the first place, didn’t you?

“Everything you did was to have a go at the people in that house.”