A pub customer punched a policeman in the face and knocked him to the ground leaving the officer with a permanent scar, a court has heard. Benjamin Barnes had been asked to leave the bar because of his behaviour and then attacked the constable who responded to reports of the disturbance.
The defendant ran off from the scene but was pursued and caught by the bleeding PC. Barnes' barrister told Swansea Crown Court the defendant "bitterly regrets" his actions on the night in question and is seeking help for his alcohol and drug problems.
Georgia Donohue, prosecuting, told the court the assault took place outside the Castell Nedd Arms pub in Neath town centre on the evening of May 17 this year. She said police officers responded to reports of a disturbance involving a man who had been asked to the leave the bar and they approached Barnes as he stood in Angel Street as he matched the description of the person involved.
