A MAN has admitted being so drunk that he cannot remember why he started punching and kicking another man.

Matthew MacDonald, 24, of Victory Row, Royal Wootton Bassett, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and obstructing police in the execution of their duty when he appeared before magistrates on Wednesday.

The court heard that, on January 23, MacDonald had been walking through town having consumed a substantial amount of alcohol after celebrating a friend getting a new job.

The pair came upon a group of Polish men and, for reasons unknown to the court, a fight ensued which resulted in MacDonald furiously punching and kicking one of them men while he was led on the floor.

Kate Prince, prosecuting, said: “It is unclear how this incident actually started. CCTV shows MacDonald and a friend walking toward the three males.

“The defendant claims he was assaulted first by one of the Polish men, but then he started punching and kicking him.”

Police were on a routine patrol and were alerted to the incident when they saw people with blood on their faces.

The charge of obstructing police officers relates to the fact that MacDonald said he had been robbed at knife point by the gang, a claim that was later proved a fabrication and which resulted in him wasting the police’s time.

The court heard that the Polish man who was attacked lost consciousness as a result of the attack. In CCTV footage shown to the court, he could then be seen getting gingerly to his feet and swaying from side to side.

Prince told the bench that MacDonald was of previous good character and that there was no racial element to the attack.

Defending, Mark Glendenning said that, on a one to 10 scale of drunkenness, his client at the time put himself “at the top end”. “He has absolutely no idea how this started,” Mr Glendenning added. “Had he not responded in the manner that he did, he would probably have been able to claim self defence as it seems he was the one who was assaulted first.”

The court heard that MacDonald is not currently in employment, but is “actively looking” for work. “He is doing whatever he can to find work,” said Mr Glendenning.

After a brief deliberation, magistrates slapped MacDonald with a community order requiring him to undertake 120 hours of unpaid work over the next 12 months. He was also told to pay £85 towards the cost of the prosecution and an £85 contribution to victim services.