A BARRY man has avoided jail after kicking another man during a drink fuelled fight at the screening of a new Star Wars film.

Sean Daniel Lewis, 36, of Park Crescent, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court today (Tuesday, September 19) having pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in February of this year.

The incident occurred on Friday, December 16 last year at around 8.30pm at the Vue Cinema in Cardiff city centre.

Richard Best had gone to see a film with his friend and two others, one of which was Lewis.

Andrew Kendall, prosecuting, said whilst the trailers were on one of the men started speaking quite loudly and was told to be quiet.

Mr Kendall said: "As people were telling him to be quiet, he started demanding money.

"He stood up and placed himself in front of Mr Best. He then punched Mr Best.

Mr Best then grabbed the man and he fell over into the footwell area.

"Lewis then came forward and kicked Mr Best to the face quite hard.

"Mr Best tried to fend them off and was then punched again by the first man."

Mr Kendall said people tried to help but Mr Best had crawled into a ball trying to prevent more punches and kicks from the two men.

The two were then taken away. Mr Best suffered cuts to his right ear and his nose and a black eye.

The court heard that Lewis has 25 previous convictions for 47 offences but none involved violence.

His last offence was a burglary for which he was convicted in March 2016 and was released just a month before the cinema incident.

James Evans, defending, pointed out that none of Lewis' previous convictions involved violence and that he had had a long wait hanging over him since pleading guilty in February.

Mr Evans said: "He has not committed any offences in that period and is in a far better position. He has stable accommodation."

Mr Evans said he has had long standing problems with drugs and that his record revolves around this.

But added that Lewis' partner says he has made excellent progress in recent months.

Mr Evans continued: "There is heavy cause for optimism for him.

"The probation service says the remorse expressed was genuine."

"He is doing pretty well and would welcome extra help to make sure this is the last of this."

Judge Jeremy Jenkins said the incident had come about because of an altercation, not of Lewis' making, between a number of men who had been drinking heavily in a cinema.

"A fight took place and you joined in that fight and kicked Mr Best to the face. You did so once with a powerful kick which caused him injury."

Mr Jenkins also recognised the "inconvenience and disruption" caused to other people who had gone to watch the new Star Wars film.

He said there were a lot of young people and that it is "intolerable that people can't go to the cinema without being disrupted by drunken people such as yourself."

"You have committed no further offences and have a positive pre sentence report," he said.

"Your life is in a much better place than it was."

He said he was going to give him the opportunity to stay in the community but that if he did reoffend he would go to jail.

"This is an opportunity to continue the good work that you are doing," he said.

He sentenced Lewis to 32 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and made a community order which requires him to attend Thinking Skills sessions for 12 months.