A LOUT floored a man by punching him after a spat outside a railway station.

Stephen Luxford had argued with his sister after they had been out drinking prosecco in Brighton to celebrate his engagement.

They were visiting the city to buy the ring and then went for drinks.

But after a row, the two went to the station separately and drunk Luxford got into a row with a group of other men, including Nicholas Dunn.

He turned round and said: “What did you say?”

Luxford then struck Mr Dunn in an unprovoked attack. The two struggled as Mr Dunn tried to protect himself.

Mr Dunn fell backwards and cracked his head on the pavement.

At Brighton Magistrates’ Court Luxford, 32, a former Royal Navy serviceman, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was given a four-month suspended prison sentence by magistrate Nicholas Letherby.

Paul Lamb, prosecuting, said the incident happened in May last year.

He said: “The defendant and his sister had a brief dispute, which ended with her telling him to f*** off.

“She walked towards the train station, then heard her brother behind her. A man said something to him, he turned and said ‘what the f*** did you say?’.

“The victim said the defendant appeared intoxicated and punched him in the jaw.”

Mr Dunn suffered a large cut to the back of his head. He said: “I was left very shocked by this unprovoked attack on me.”

Alison Reeby, defending, said Luxford was “extremely remorseful and ashamed” of his behaviour.

Luxford, of Florence Road, Southsea, Hampshire, served in the Royal Navy for 13 years and now works as a heating engineer.

Ms Reeby said he had been out celebrating and had prosecco for lunch, before ending up drinking “quite a large amount of alcohol”.

She said her client felt something out of turn had been said to him, but he could not remember what.

His reaction was out of character, she said.

Luxford, also known as Stephen MacDonald, was given a suspended sentence and was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid community service.

He must also complete 20 rehabilitation sessions and pay £150 in compensation to Mr Dunn.

Luxford must also pay a £122 surcharge and £85 costs.