A FATHER of two who attacked his ex-partner's boyfriend escaped a jail sentence, after a judge said he was not a violent person.
Burnley Crown Court heard how Joseph Taylor, 31, hit Denis Morrison, his former friend, twice.
Sentencing him, Judge David Pirie said the victim was quite a vulnerable person, mild mannered, of some limitations and a man who would be a total stranger to any kind of violence.
He added that he accepted Taylor was not a man of violence in the normal circumstances.
Taylor, care of Cotton Tree Lane, Colne, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and was given 120 hours community punishment. He must also pay £200 compensation. He had no previous convictions.
John Woodward, defending, said Taylor and Mr Morrison had been friends until Mr Morrison formed a relationship with the defendant's ex-girlfriend, Karen Laycock, and that took its toll upon Taylor.
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