A BARBER ran away after throwing a "pitiful" punch at a member of door staff outside a Hereford nightclub, a court has heard.

Ali Wahid Mohammed admitted assaulting a person by beating when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

Mohammed had been at The Venue nightclub in Hereford when a row broke out in the early hours of the morning on May 29, prosecutor Mark Hambling said.

A member of door staff said a group of men had become argumentative and aggressive and that Mohammed had approached him and punched him in the face.

Mohammed was arrested and taken to Hereford police station, where he told officers in interview that he thought the door worker had been rude and threatening and had got in his face.

OTHER NEWS:

Edmund Middleton, for Mohammed, said the 20-year-old had been in the company of another person who was described as the aggressor by the door worker.

Mr Middleton said barber Mohammed had thrown the punch, which was caught on CCTV, believing something offensive had been said about his mother.

"It was a pitiful punch and he ran off after," Mr Middleton said.

"He was caught up with and detained by door staff and then locked up in custody and not released until the following day. He is generally not the sort of person who gets into bother."

The court heard Mohammed had been pinned to the floor when he was caught by door staff, and that damage had been caused to a door worker's glasses in the struggle.

Mohammed, of Friars Street, Hereford, was ordered to pay compensation of £130 to the door worker and fined £213. He must also pay costs of £135 and a £34 victim surcharge.

Want to stay up to date with all the latest Herefordshire court and crime news? Click here to join our Hereford Times Court and Crime group on Facebook or click here to sign up for our weekly court and crime email newsletter.