A WOULD-BE peacemaker was attacked after stepping in to try to calm a rowing couple, a court heard.

The incident arose as Leo Zeraj became involved in an increasingly heated discussion with his girlfriend, after she turned up in a taxi outside his former home, in Newton Hall, Durham, in the early hours of July 27, last year.

Durham Crown Court heard that a friend of Zeraj, with whom he had been drinking during the previous evening in the city centre, tried to intervene to take the heat out of the situation.

But the agitated defendant turned on his friend, pushing him away, causing him to stumble backwards.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said Zeraj then followed it up by punching the still stunned complainant to the left cheek bone, causing him to fall to the ground.

Mr Dryden said he temporarily blacked out, either through the force of the blow, or by striking his head on the ground as he fell.

“The next thing he remembered was coming round in a taxi, being taken to the nearby hospital.”

He suffered a laceration to the left lower eye lid, tenderness to the orbital bone round the eye, with a large swelling in the vicinity of where the punch landed.

Zeraj was arrested and interviewed later that day, confirming he had a row with his girlfriend, but adding that there was, “a bit of trouble”.

He said he left in a taxi, and while he acknowledged knowing the injured man, he denied that there had been any physical altercation.

But, on the day of his scheduled trial, last month, Zeraj, now 28, of Roosevelt Road, Gilesgate, Durham, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.

The court was told the injury has caused the victim both physical and psychological scars.

Don MacFaul, mitigating, said: “The defendant bitterly regrets his actions that night.

“This man had been helpful and the argument was unexpected.

“My client deeply regrets reacting as he did.

“It’s not in his character. He has no violence on his record.

“He’s a hard worker and not considered a risk of repeating such violence.”

Judge Neil Clark said although such an attack, “crosses the custody threshold”, he was able to draw back from passing an immediate prison sentence.

“It was more than a year ago, and although it’s not clear why you assaulted your victim, who you knew, drink probably played a part.”

He imposed a five month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered Zeraj to carry out 170-hours unpaid work, while he will also be subject to probation supervision for a year.

Zeraj was also ordered to pay his victim £600 compensation.