Thug shopper attacks Spar customer in 'stop whining' row

A shop customer behaved like a coward when he "walloped" a man during a row at the Spar shop in Torquay, a court heard. Ethan Burke was stood in the queue when he heard his victim complaining to staff about withdrawing cash.

He said: "Why are you being a k***head?" before punching him when he wasn't looking. He then hit the man a second time before running away.

The victim was left with a fractured eye socket, broken nose, a skull injury and fractured finger. Exeter Crown Court was told Burke, a barman who was referred to as a trained boxer, has anger problems and was on a community order for similar violence at the time of the offence.

He pleaded guilty to GBH. The judge said Burke should never have got involved in such violence and the incident was "aggression followed by cowardice".

Prosecutor Zoe Kuyken said the victim had asked to speak to the manager over an issue about being charged for withdrawing cash at the machine. As the victim went to leave and was speaking on the phone to his mum, Burke marched up to him and punched him in the face.

The victim responded: "What's your problem?" Burke hit him again and replied: "Do you want to get your nose busted." CCTV then showed him running off into the distance.

The victim said in a statement he has missed work and been left anxious and worried about bumping into Burke again.

The defendant, aged 23, of Tricorn Close in Shiphay, was convicted of ABH in 2021 for punching a man in the face in the street and was given a community order. Martin Salloway, defending, said there is "another side" to him. He is a hard worker and family man. Matters in the shop got out of hand but he is a good prospect for rehabilitation.

Judge David Evans said: "He marched up to his victim and, while the victim had his hand in his pocket, wallops him in the face without any justification whatsoever. I want to make that clear because the defendant has been telling a different story.

"He seems to have an anger problem. This is the second time he has assaulted someone when he couldn't control his aggressive impulses. He is trying to kid himself and others."

Burke was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for 21 months. He must do 180 hours of unpaid work and pay £500 costs.

He told Burke: "After you had told the victim to stop whining in the shop, which anyone might do, you did what very few people do, only criminals, and you marched up to him and got in his face, clearly trying to intimidate him. He was on the phone to his mum and wasn't paying you any attention.

"You punched him in the face and you broke lots of bones in his face because you are a trained boxer. When he remonstrated you punched him again."

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