A 27-YEAR-old who punched a man in a Ross-on-Wye street has been fined.

Lukasz Kus, 27, of Market Place, Ross pleaded guilty to assault by beating.

Adrian Jones, prosecuting at Herefordshire Magistrates Court, said during the evening of January 14 he assaulted Ryan Powell.

He said Mr Powell was walking down Broad Street with friends towards The Eagle, when they saw Kus and his friend, Tomasz Mankowski coming the other way.

He said Mr Powell said Mankowski shoulder-barged him and Mr Powell asked him what he was doing.

Mr Jones said it then became heated and Kus punched Mr Powell to the side of the face and the nose area, and the victim ended up on the floor. The court heard Mr Powell did try to defend himself but none of his punches hit Kus.

He said Kus had previous good character.

Emily Gourley, mitigating, said Kus offers no form of excuse but explained that he had been drinking. She said he wished to apologise to the court.

Magistrates fined him £250 and ordered him to pay £50 compensation to the victim. He was ordered to pay prosecution costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Mankowski, 26, of High Street, Ross-on-Wye pleaded not guilty to assault by beating and has been sent for trial at the magistrates court on August 2.