A man who lost his temper after having to wait for his prescription in a pharmacy went outside and punched a passerby in the face while holding a bunch of keys, splitting the man’s lip and knocking out a tooth.
An irate Frank Barton was restrained by staff as he threatened to "finish off" the stranger he had attacked.
The defendant later told police he had anger issues, and hadn't taken his medication.
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Sian Cutter, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that on June 23 last year Barton was seen shouting at a young man outside a pharmacy on Woodfield street in the centre of Morriston.
Moments later the defendant turned his attention to the owner of a hair salon who was walking past the chemist shop, approaching the stranger "aggressively" and asking: "What are you looking at?". Barton went to headbutt the passerby so the man pushed him away, and the defendant responded by punched him in the face while holding a bunch of keys in his fist.
The bleeding victim fell to his knees, and 47-year-old Barton was grabbed by the pharmacist and restrained as he shouted "Let me finish him off!". Police were called, and Barton was still on the scene when they arrived but ran off when he saw the officers approaching.
The court heard that when police caught up with Barton he told them he had anger issues and hadn't taken his medication. He said he thought the the victim had laughed at him and called him a "p****" so he had "sparked him out". Pharmacy staff later told police Barton had been "rude and aggressive" in the shop before going outside and shouting at a youngster who was walking down the street.
The victim suffered three cuts to his lips which needed stitching, lost a tooth, and had swelling to his nose.
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Frank Graham Barton, of Cwrt Ivor Sims, Morriston, had previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and criminal damage - the victim's Apple watch was smashed in the incident - when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 12 previous convictions for 33 offences including ABH, domestic battery, and two for assaulting police officers.
John Allchurch, for Barton, said the defendant had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and also abused substances. He said on the day in question his client was in the pharmacy to collect a prescription and felt he had been waiting too long while others were served ahead of him. The advocate said Barton had left the shop in a temper and "the complainant felt the force of that temper". He added that the defendant wished to apologise to his victim.
Judge Geraint Walters said Barton had been "out of control" when he launched an unprovoked attack on a wholly innocent man. He said the offending clearly crossed the custody threshold and the only question was whether that sentence had to be served immediately. The judge told Barton the courts had given him "chance after chance" over the years with community-based sentences, and it was time he stopped making excuses for his behaviour.
With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Barton was sentenced to eight months in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
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