A MAN who carried out an unprovoked attack on a teenage boy as he ate his lunch in a park has been jailed.

Nathan Jones, 27, and of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to assault and two counts of theft at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court last week. 

In a statement from the 16-year-old victim which was read in court, he said he had been on a lunch break from his Saturday job on October 28 last year. He was sat in Langmoor Gardens in Lyme Regis when he was approached by a boy he knew from school.

The boy had been reportedly been sat in a nearby bus shelter with Jones who was holding a bottle of liquor. The victim said the boy made “exaggerated movements” when approaching him, as if he was “playing up” to something.

The court heard that almost immediately after the boy had finished talking to him, Jones grabbed the victim by the neck, pinched his windpipe and pushed him to the floor. He “couldn’t move and was struggling for breath.”

The boy said he was held down for around five seconds, while the boy encouraged Jones and shouted “get him.”

After holding the victim down, Jones said “you ever chat **** about my friend again, I will come for you.”

Simon Lacey, mitigating, said Jones claimed the boy had pointed out the victim as someone who had bullied him at school.

He said: “His young friend said he had been bullied at school by the boy. Jones’s idea was to have a word with him but he overreacted and grabbed him by the throat.”

Jones was also charged with two counts of shoplifting after stealing beauty products from Boots in Lyme Regis on separate occasions.

On Friday, January 5, Jones was seen on CCTV putting items worth £91.45 into his jacket pockets, which were not recovered. 

On Sunday, January 7, Jones was seen again placing several items into the pocket of his hoodie in the same shop. 

On this occasion, the store manager approached Jones who handed them back. The items were worth £80.

Mr Lacey said Jones had stolen perfume to sell and “make money to try and support himself.”

The court heard Jones had also breached the terms of his probation after being released from prison in Bristol in September. 

He was sentenced to 10 weeks in custody for assault, three weeks in custody for each theft charge to run concurrently and two weeks in custody for breaching his probation terms. The total sentence is 15 weeks. He was also ordered to pay a £115 surcharge to the assault victim.