A MAN who stamped on his friend’s head causing a brain haemorrhage has been jailed for causing grievous bodily harm.

Robert O’Connor, 26, had been drinking with his girlfriend and the victim, Thomas Hillier.

As the three of them walked along York Road towards Mr Hillier’s flat on July 20, 2015, Mr Hillier groped O’Connor’s girlfriend’s bottom.

Homeless O’Connor lost his temper and punched Mr Hillier to the ground before stamping on his head.

As Mr Hillier lay motionless, O’Connor immediately called an ambulance, saying “I have just kicked someone in the head. What have I done? Oh my God. Are you alright?”

Defending, Rufus Taylor said: “This is a young man who does something in the heat of the moment that’s quite appalling, but in the space of five metres, he’s realised what he’s done.”

O’Connor told probation officers he was remorseful and realised his actions were “disgusting and inexcusable”, regardless of provocation.

Mr Taylor told Salisbury Crown Court on Tuesday that O’Connor had been at a “very low ebb” — homeless, unemployed and drinking too much. He has since quit alcohol and drugs and moved back to Norfolk with his girlfriend, where he works in a restaurant.

Character witness Mary Sobucinska worked at Alabare in Salisbury, where O’Connor lived from 2011 to 2013. She said: “I was very surprised at this. I had never seen Rob in any trouble. He was really one of the good ones.”

Sentencing O’Connor to 42 months in prison, reduced from five years for his guilty plea, Judge Richard Parkes said the stamp was “frankly appalling” and a “terrible mistake” that could have been fatal.

He said: “It is to your credit that you realised, to your horror, what you had done and you immediately called an ambulance.”

Mr Hillier suffered a fractured temple, an acute brain haemorrhage and felt dizzy for five months after the attack, but has since recovered.

Judge Parkes said it was an “immensely sad case” as O’Connor had rebuilt his life since the offence.

He was sorry to have to jail O’Connor for so long, but he had no choice, the judge said.

“You are plainly a decent enough young man to accept what you did was utterly wrong,” he said.

O’Connor, of Crown Road, Great Yarmouth, has one previous conviction for burglary and a caution for breaking his abusive step-father’s ankle with a baseball bat.