THE victim of a grudge attack outside a pub was kicked in the groin with such force that he had to have a testicle removed, a court was told.

Richard Alan Weldon, who was under the influence of both drink and drugs, confronted his victim outside the Bay Horse pub, in Bishop Auckland, saying: “You’re not such a big man now.”

Durham Crown Court heard Weldon punched him to the head and face as well as head-butting him, knocking off his glasses.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, said when the dazed man leaned over to pick them up, Weldon also struck him a blow to the back of the head.

Despite being held back, Weldon then delivered the forceful kick to the groin.

The victim was taken to hospital in severe pain.

He was treated for bruising to the left side of the head and left ear, plus the swollen and bruised testicle.

A consultant urologist later found an abnormality to his testicle and a tumour could not be ruled out.

Further delay could not be risked so it was necessary to remove it, which on examination was not cancerous.

Later he was found to have made a full recovery, despite psychological harm, and a prosthesis was inserted.

Mr Baker said the consultant’s view was the force of the kick caused blunt trauma without which there would have been no abnormality.

Despite witness evidence to the contrary, Weldon denied kicking the victim in two police interviews.

He was initially accused of assault causing actual bodily harm, but when the extent of the injury was confirmed, the 31-year-old defendant, of Gable Terrace, Wheatley Hill, was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm, which he admitted last month, three years after the incident, on March 7, 2018.

The court heard the victim, who has suffered mental trauma, is annoyed he will suffer lifelong disfigurement, destroying his self-esteem.

Lewis Kerr, in mitigation, said Weldon, a former chef, is now, “deeply ashamed”.

But Judge James Adkin said if he felt such remorse he should have owned up from the outset.

Judge Adkin said it appeared to be borne out of a grudge on Weldon’s behalf after he was previously barred from a pub, for which he blamed the victim.

Telling Weldon it was, “drunken, drugged post-pub violence, causing significant lifelong consequences for your victim,” he imposed an immediate 22-month prison sentence.