A Chelmsford teenager waited for a year to learn whether he would be locked up for his part in violence in a Springfield pub.

Landscape gardener Ian Stewart was 17 when he hit a 16-year-old boy in the Two Saxons pub, Springfield, on March 9 last year. Magistrates later imposed four months youth detention for an offence of assault but granted bail pending appeal.

At Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday Stewart's appeal against conviction was withdrawn but continued against the severity of the sentence.

Recorder Robin Knowles QC sitting with two magistrates allowed the appeal against the custodial sentence and replaced it with 60 hours community punishment and an order to pay £150 compensation to the victim and £250 court costs.

The Recorder told Stewart that the sentence was altered because the Crown now put the case as a punch and not a head butt as stated at the lower court.

Recorder Knowles said: "That punch was the starting punch leading to an incident of violence with blows being traded by others."

Richard Carron for the Crown said there was under-age drinking and argy bargy in the pub. Stewart hit the 16-year-old who ultimately received a black eye and grazes.

Cameron Brown for Stewart said the majority of the victim's injuries were caused when others "piled in".

His client apologised to the victim immediately afterwards.

Published Monday, March 18, 2002