A KNIFEMAN who nearly cycled into a 74-year-old man - then knocked him out with a single “shocking” punch - has been jailed.

The pensioner spent two days in hospital with a bleed on the brain following the attack outside Brown’s in York city centre as he was doing his Christmas shopping.

A member of the public chased cyclist Oliver Duke Wharton down Davygate and, with two off duty police officers and others, caught and restrained him outside Debenhams.

Eyewitnesses told York Crown Court they heard someone say “He’s got a knife” or “he’s dropped a knife” and saw a lock knife fall to the ground close to where the 22-year-old was struggling.

Wharton, of The Gables, Holme Lane, Selby, who has previous convictions for robbery and carrying a knife, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm. He denied carrying the lock knife in public but was convicted unanimously by a jury.

Jailing him for 20 months, Judge Andrew Stubbs QC said about the punch that felled the pensioner: “This was a deliberate blow. It hit him so hard he was probably unconscious before he hit the ground.

“Afterwards you scarpered and were only brought to book by the bravery of the off duty officers and the member of the public who was so disgusted by what you had done they gave chase.

“You are only 22, but you are amassing a serious and substantial record for violence and disorder.”

He praised the “public spirited behaviour” of Ryan Barratt, who had given chase, and gave him a £250 reward. The action of the police officers showed they were “never off duty,” said the judge.

Earlier, giving evidence, Wharton claimed: “There is no evidence saying it is my knife. I don’t know how the knife got there. It could have been thrown there.”

He claimed a member of the public had said: “What’s that on the floor?” and alleged that he didn’t carry knives.

Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, said the city was busy with Christmas shoppers shortly before lunchtime on December 7.

The 74-year-old man was walking along the pavement when he saw Wharton cycling towards him as though he would cycle into him.

He hoped Wharton would move into the road and grabbed him in what Mr Barratt called a reflex action.

Mr Barratt saw Wharton swing his arm round and hit the 74-year-old man hard in the face.

“It was completely uncalled for and shocking,” said Mr Newcombe, quoting Mr Barratt’s statement.

Wharton left his bicycle on top of the pensioner and ran off. The pensioner suffered a black eye as well as the bleed on the brain, which did not lead to long term medical consequences.

Mark Partridge for Wharton said he had acted in self defence, but accepted he had gone too far.

At one stage, when the jury was watching CCTV footage of the chase down Davygate and Wharton’s capture, the defendant started talking loudly in the dock and was ordered to the cells. The judge told the jury he had repeatedly warned Wharton about his conduct.

Mr Partridge said in the absence of the jury Wharton had been “excited by seeing the CCTV”.

“He struggles with appropriate behaviour and he meant no disrespect,” said the solicitor advocate.

Wharton had had mental health difficulties including ADHD since a child and was taking medication.

Wharton was on prison licence when he hit the pensioner. He committed his first crime when he was 11. He told the jury he had been cycling to hospital to see his mother who had cancer.