One man has been jailed and another sentenced to community service after an unprovoked attack on a man outside Port Erin Co-op.

Shane Paul Fayle, aged 19, of The Promenade, Port Erin, was jailed for four weeks, while Rabelani Collen Nyamande, aged 20, of The Level, Colby was ordered to perform 60 hours of community service in the next 12 months. Nyamande’s sentence is a direct alternative to three weeks’ custody.

Both men, who work at a fish processing plant, pleaded guilty to a charge of behaviour likely to cause belief immediate unlawful violence may be used and must also pay £125 prosecution costs.

We previously reported how, on March 5 at 8.07pm, police were called to Port Erin Co-op after reports of a disturbance.

A witness told police that he said he had parked his car outside the Falcon’s Nest pub and was walking past the Isle of Man Bank when heard Nyamande shout: ’Gangster’.

Fayle then approached saying: ’What are you saying? Are you starting?’

The man said he tried to walk away towards the Co-op but Fayle hit him on the side of the face.

He said he threw a punch back at Fayle but did not connect and both men then launched themselves at him.

The victim said he ran towards the Co-op with Fayle and Nyamande following him.

A member of staff at the Co-op said he saw Nyamande holding the victim while Fayle threw punches at him.

Members of the public pulled the pair away and the man took refuge in the Co-op with Fayle and Nyamande still in the doorway.

Nyamande was then said to have spat at the victim before being pushed away by Co-op staff.

The pair left but were later arrested on a bus in Ballabeg.

Fayle entered a basis of plea in court, admitting that during a tussle he had struck the victim once, but with an open palm.

Nyamande entered a plea stating that he had not struck the man but admitted grabbing him and spitting at him.

Defending Nyamande in court, advocate Roger Kane said that there had been history between his client and the victim before the incident.

Fayle’s advocate, David Clegg, said: ’There was a tussle. It shouldn’t have happened. It wasn’t the most serious of incidents fortunately.’

Magistrates’ chairman Alan Gelling told Fayle: ’It was an unprovoked and cowardly attack in front of members of the public. You have seven previous convictions and three cautions. We are satisfied only a sentence of custody is appropriate.’

Mr Gelling told Nyamande that he would be dealt with differently as he had not struck the victim and had no previous convictions for assault.