A Wetherspoons drinker who battered his alleged former playground bully 15 years on has been spared jail.
Kevin Blatchford, 38, was sinking pints at the pub in Exeter, Devon, when he punched his victim - 15 years after they had last seen each other.
Blatchford had been mourning the death of his brother at the Chevalier Inn when he spotted his former bully, DevonLive reports.
He raced out of the pub before punching the victim five times.
The victim continued to get battered even as he lay defenceless on the floor.
CCTV showed Blatchford bending down to hit or slap the man seven more times.
The victim was left with a black eye and heavy facial bruising after the attack on July 30, 2020.
Blatchford later admitted assault causing actual bodily harm at Exeter Crown Court.
Recorder Mr Malcolm Galloway let him walk away from the dock as he spared Blatchford jail.
Mr Galloway told Blatchford: "This was a prolonged assault but no weapon was used. It was impulsive and spontaneous and unprovoked.
"There was undoubtedly some background between you and the complainant.
"The probation report suggests work on your alcohol consumption and emotional resilience, in effect, not being an idiot."
Blatchford, who was not represented, told the judge he was in a fragile mental state as his brother had died six weeks before.
He said he saw a man who he had known since school and went to confront him because he felt he had bullied him both there and in the years since.
He said: "It was a very stupid thing to do. I saw him walk past. It was a bullying thing from school.
"He was always in the last year when I was in the first.
"He took my phone off me and beat up my brother a couple of months before.
"That day I had been drinking and it caused me to see red. It was very out of character."
Blatchford was jailed for 10 months, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to do 10 days of rehabilitation.
