A promising musician who beat an innocent man unconscious in a city centre street has escaped an immediate prison sentence after a judge read a moving letter from his girlfriend.

Judge Jonathan Rose told 23-year-old Damian Clarke he had carried out a brutal and sustained attack on his victim, striking him repeatedly in the head with his knee.

The judge told Clarke: “You behaved in a disgraceful, appalling and violent manner towards a complete stranger, for no reason whatsoever.”

He sentenced Clarke yesterday to a 12-month prison term suspended for two years and ordered him to do 300 hours’ unpaid work for the community.

Judge Rose said drink was an explanation why an “otherwise blameless young man like you should resort to this sort of violence”.

Prosecutor Alesha Kaye told Bradford Crown Court that Clarke, of St Enoch’s Road, Wibsey, Bradford, had a drunken argument with his girlfriend in Bradford city centre in the early hours last July. He attacked Kevin Cunningham in Tyrrel Street when he tried to intervene.

The court was shown CCTV footage of Clarke, who pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm, punching Mr Cunningham to the ground and continuing the attack after striking him unconscious with his knee.

He then dragged him along the pavement before leaving him prostrate and walking off with his girlfriend.

Mr Cunningham was unconscious for several minutes and suffered a small laceration to the back of his head, but did not want to make a complaint to the police.

Clarke later told police he had been a “drunken idiot” and said the CCTV was “horrifying”. He admitted he could have killed Mr Cunningham.

Clarke’s barrister, Stephen Uttley, said he was a decent young man who had never been in trouble before. He worked as a head chef and was a talented drummer with a band called When Giants Collide, the court heard.

Mr Uttley said: “He has put a promising career as a chef, his family life and a potential musical career in the balance because of one night of stupidity because he had too much to drink.”

Judge Rose told Clarke: “I have no doubt that you are remorseful for what you have done.

“Though you richly deserve to go immediately to prison, I have to consider whether I can cause so much damage to you and those who love you, by depriving you of your liberty, or give you an opportunity to get back to the life you lived before.

“I am just persuaded not to send you to prison today because of the letter I have read from your partner and because there is a child who has come to depend on you as a father.”