A MAN drank “about 28 cans” in one day and strangled, punched and spat at his four victims after an argument over a Chinese takeaway.

Richard John was charged with strangling a man and three offences of battery – relating to spitting blood at a woman and a teenage girl, and punching a second man in the face.

Prosecutor Brian Simpson told the court that John was bailed to an address in Milford Haven as he awaited sentence for unrelated offences, and – at around 8pm on January 2 – he was outside the property drunkenly shouting at neighbours.

When he came back inside, he began arguing again – this time complaining that he had been “left with scraps” from a Chinese takeaway.

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He grabbed a 24-year-old man by the throat and started strangling him. The victim was able to escape John’s grip after headbutting him.

John then spat blood at a woman while she attempted to intervene, and also spat blood at a 16-year-old girl as she tried to get John out of the room.

The man’s partner arrived and saw that a struggle was taking place. He ran in to help, and the defendant punched him in the mouth.

John went in to the living room, and his victims held the door closed while waiting for the police to arrive.

The defendant denied the strangulation charge in interview, saying it was “a defensive action” as the victim was “coming at him”.

He later pleaded guilty to all charges.

John, 40, of Bush Street in Pembroke Dock, has 37 previous convictions for 65 offences.

“This was an ugly affair,” Ian Ibrahim said in mitigation.

“He understands that his behaviour that day was disgusting.

“He is sorry. He’s remorseful.”

The court heard that a probation service report stated that John had drank “about 28 cans” on the day of the offence – which Mr Ibrahim described as an “astonishing” amount of alcohol.

Mr Ibrahim said John had taken courses in prison to help him deal with his alcohol addiction.

The judge, Recorder Simon Hughes, jailed John for 18 months for the strangulation charge. The defendant was also sentenced to concurrent sentences of nine weeks for punching the man and six weeks each for spitting at the woman and girl.

The strangulation victim and the girl were granted a five-year restraining order against the defendant.