GAZETTE: Tree surgeon Morry Jones has escaped a jail term after he hit a man over the head with a cosh outside a Box pub.

The 28-year-old waded into the fight, which had spilled on to the A4 through the village, before viciously whacking his victim.

Jones insists the weapon was a bar he found lying in the road, which contradicted descriptions from witnesses.

A judge at Swindon Crown Court heard how the incident spilled over because of tensions in the village over workers from the north of England who stay in a pub.

The court was told that the landlord of the Queens Head runs a business selling door to door products in the area and had men from the Liverpool area who work for him.

While there is a steady turn over of men there is always a crop of workers living in the pub and cold calling to sell household products.

Ramon Pakrooh, defending, said that their presence had caused tensions in the community. He said that they had been blamed by some people for a rise in burglaries in the area and were regarded as 'bullies and unpleasant people,' by many locals.

Earlier the court heard how the brawl started on the evening of Wednesday, September 1 last year.

Chris Jervis, prosecuting, said victim David Skinner had been staying at the Queens Head along with other members of his sales team.

Late in the evening they went to the Co-op store in the village to buy food and passed a group of five or six locals outside the shop. Words were exchanged about a previous incident and a fight broke out.

Jones was then seen by witnesses to produce an extendible cosh, with which he hit Mr Skinner twice.

Mr Skinner suffered a two inch laceration to the side of his head which required five staples at hospital.

In the early hours of the following morning Jones called police to say he had hit the man and was questioned.

He told officers he got involved when he saw one of his friends being attacked and he had taken a bottle from one of the attackers and hit the man. He denied having a cosh at any time.

The court heard that he had a string of previous convictions including possessing an offensive weapon and in 1999 he received a four-and-a-half year jail term for robbery.

Jones, of Long Acre, London Road, Bath, admitted actual bodily harm at a previous hearing.

Mr Pakrooh told the court that his client now accepted that he had used a cosh but said he had found it in the road and insisted it was not his.

Since his release from prison in September 2001 he said Jones had tried to lead an honest life and was now living with his girlfriend, who is expecting twins. He said he worked as a tree surgeon and was a valued and trusted member of staff.

Judge Tom Longbotham imposed a two year probation order and ordered Jones to pay £400 towards the costs of the prosecution.