A THUG has been jailed for three years for kicking two men on the ground in separate drink-fuelled street attacks.

Luke Bamber was on bail for the first attack and had just defied a ban on going into city centre pubs and clubs when he carried out the second attack, York Crown Court heard.

The second victim is to receive a £500 public reward for going to the aid of a woman that Bamber was pestering at the Duncombe Place taxi rank in York.

"The court is greatly impressed by the public spirited actions of Adam Winterburn, who was simply a member of the public who was at the taxi rank," said the Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Batty QC said.

"He could see she was offended and upset and he went to remonstrate with the defendant and for his pains and his public spirited actions, he was brutally assaulted."

Stephanie Hancock, prosecuting, said the woman made it clear she wanted Bamber to leave her alone when he asked her to go back to his place at 4.20am on October 10, but he persisted and slapped her bottom.

He told police afterwards he was probably flirting with her, but couldn't remember anything of the incident because he had been drinking.

Ms Hancock said Bamber punched several times towards Mr Winterburn without connecting, then pushed him to the ground and kicked him twice on the side of his face and once in the ribs. He suffered minor injuries.

Bamber, 21, of Crabtree Grove, New Earswick, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to Mr Winterburn, and assaulting the woman and was given 18 months, to be served after the 18 months he is already serving for two other attacks.

On October 21, York Crown Court heard how he and his cousin Jordan Wayne Jamieson, 21, attacked two men heading for a taxi rank at 1am on December 15 last year.

They put both men to the ground and kicked one of them and broke the other's jaw.

About the Duncombe Place assault, defence solicitor advocate Liam Hassan said it was not planned and that Bamber had not found jail easy. Normally he was a hard working family man.

The judge said when Bamber committed the October attack, he was on bail for the December attack with a condition that he stayed out of pubs and clubs in the city centre. But that night he had been drinking in city centre venues.