A MAN who assaulted a teenage girl and bit a passenger on a Southampton bus has been jailed.

Thomas Munnoch, 24, carried out the attacks on a Bluestar 18 bus which was travelling between the city centre and Thornhill, a court heard.

Munnoch, of Hightown Tower, was also caught on CCTV waving a kitchen knife in a lift at the tower block.

Southampton Crown Court heard how in November Munnoch committed two assaults on passengers on a Bluestar 18 bus, which was travelling between the town centre and Thornhill.

Prosecutor Matthew Lawson said during the incident, Munnoch tipped beer over a 16-year-old girl.

Mr Lawson said Munnoch then grabbed the teenager and "threw her" to the floor, leaving her with a graze on her hand.

Other passengers attempted to come to the girl's aid, but Munnoch continued to fight back and at one point bit a man near his rib cage, as he attempted to restrain him.

Mr Lawson also said how Munnoch had been caught stealing a Nespresso coffee machine and two Bose speakers from John Lewis in Westquay during two incidents in November.

The knife incident took place in Hightown Towers on September 15 last year.

CCTV captured the father-of-one entering a lift with a woman, before brandishing a knife.

The court heard Munnoch was "gesticulating" with the knife, but did not threaten the woman.

He later used the knife to stab at the lift's control panel, before the woman pointed out the CCTV camera, which Munnoch then began stabbing.

Munnoch pleaded guilty to one count of being in possession of a knife, two counts of assault and two counts of theft.

In mitigation, Matthew Hodgetts said Munnoch had turned to drink after two of his friends took their own lives within a short period of each other.

He said Munnoch was drinking "ten cans of lager a day" to help deal with his upset.

He added that the knife incident at Hightown Towers had been sparked by threats from neighbours.

Mr Hodgetts said: "The lady he was with knew the people who were sending him the messages and he tried to speak to her to mediate between the two.

"That was the sensible thing. That stopped when he brought the knife with him."

Recorder Nicholas Atkinson sentenced Munnoch, of Hightown Tower, Southampton, to a total of 12 months in jail.

He said: "I've seen the CCTV of you with the knife and you don't need me to tell you how prevalent knife crime is. It is a a scourge.

"That in itself justifies an immediate custodial sentence."

Addressing Munnoch, who has 25 convictions, Mr Atkinson said: "You've got a child and you've got responsibilities. It's not impossible for a man in their twenties can change.

"Enough is enough."