A THUG has continued his career of violence despite receiving a five-year extended prison sentence, York magistrates heard.

Samuel Mark Ackroyd, 29, slapped a woman by back-handing her in the face in Blake Street, said Martin Butterworth, prosecuting.

The assault came three days after he was in court for hitting a door staff member at Revolution in Coney Street on Christmas Eve.

In 2012, he was given the extended prison sentence for kicking a 60-year-old man on the ground in the head and breaking another man’s cheekbone in separate violence, among other offences. He has other convictions for violence.

Magistrates put him under a 12-hour curfew starting at 7pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening for the next six weeks and ordered him to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £85 statutory surcharge.

Ackroyd of East Street, Heworth, pleaded guilty to assault.

For him, Julian Tanikal said the Revolution assault was immediately after he passed out in the bar, was woken by door staff and hit out.

The woman he attacked in Blake Street had been telling his girlfriend that he had cheated on his ex and that had led to the previous relationship breaking up.

He had been drinking, reacted angrily and immediately walked off. “He wouldn’t say he was out of control,” said the solicitor.

York Press:

Although he had behaved badly when he was younger, Ackroyd was reforming himself and had set himself up in business as a builder, the court was told.

Mr Butterworth said the Blake Street assault came shortly after door staff at McDonald’s refused him entry on the grounds he was intoxicated and had asked CCTV operators to keep an eye on him.

Mr Tanikal said Ackroyd and his girlfriend were waiting for a taxi when the victim approached and starting talking to her.