A SOUTHAMPTON judge told a teenager who fractured a man’s skull with a brick: “You’ll be coming back time and time again unless you grow up.”

Judge John Boggis QC heard how Charles Jeffrey was assaulted by three people in a group after he had left a Bitterne pub with a woman.

She pulled one of them off and they continued to walk home.

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Prosecutor Richard Withey told Southampton Crown Court how the pair noticed the group behind them and when Mr Jeffrey challenged them about the assault, Callum McGivern struck him with a brick, causing a deep cut on the forehead and a skull fracture.

McGivern, 17, of Harrison Road, admitted common assault and inflicting grievous bodily harm and received an 18-month detention and training order.

McGivern said he had thrown the brick because he was frightened of the victim’s dog and realised that was beyond self-defence.

Lucy Davis, mitigating, said McGivern had never got into such serious trouble before and his attitude had changed.