'Drunken idiot' battered 'defenceless' drinker after grabbing his glasses in pub

A "defenceless" drinker needed emergency surgery to save his sight after being set upon in a pub by a thug who nicked his glasses.

Dad-of-two Michael Stephens, 34, was seen "prancing around" before he flipped and rained down eight or nine powerful blows on Gareth Wyn Williams, a court heard. However, Stephens avoided going straight to prison, being handed a suspended sentence over the "horrifying" and "unforgivable" attack.

It happened The Albert Pub on Lark Lane, south Liverpool at around 10.30pm on August 4 last year. Stephens had attended the pub with a woman, and was shown on CCTV "behaving like a drunken idiot" while Mr Wyn Williams sat alone at a nearby table, listening to a live music act.

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"The CCTV footage clearly shows the defendant, clearly under the influence of drink, standing up, dancing on his own in the pub - at that point, not causing anybody any harm" prosecutor Derek Jones told Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, the Liverpool Echo reports.

"The defendant then decided, presumably as a sort of joke, to pick up Mr Wyn Williams' glasses, which were on the table. The defendant then put the glasses on. Mr Wyn Williams, understandably concerned about his glasses, went to the defendant to retrieve them. The footage shows some words between them, but nothing more than that."

After getting his glasses back, Mr Wyn Williams returned to his chair, where Stephens' female companion appeared to become angry as she pointed aggressively towards him. Stephens then walked over and rained numerous rapid blows down on Mr Wyn Williams, causing a serious bleed behind his left eye.

Mr Jones said: "[It was] totally unexpected. Mr