A man battered his brother-in-law and hit him with a table in a row over an unpaid £1,500 debt.
Mohammed Islam, 33, of Trittiford Road, Birmingham, went to his brother-in-law's house in Tranmere on November 7 and demanded money from him before kicking him repeatedly as he lay helpless in bed.
The pair then went downstairs, where Islam hit his brother-in-law again with a table and asked for his wallet. He then fled the scene, taking his brother-in-law's mobile phone with him.
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He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, where he pleaded guilty to assault and theft.
The court heard that Islam, who was described "an educated, eloquent, placid man" by his defence, had been enraged by texts he had received from his sister shortly before the incident, in which she told him her husband had been pressuring her to go to Bangladesh.
He was also owed £1,500 by his brother-in-law.
Kate Morley, defending, said: "He is ashamed of himself. He's not the type of person who usually resorts to violence. He regrets what he did. He knows that he shouldn't have behaved this way and he's devastated because the consequence is a rift in the family."
Judge Clement Goldstone QC said: "It was very bad behaviour indeed, of which you should be thoroughly ashamed. As yet there's another side to your character, because by and large you are a good family man, you work, and it appears to be the case that on this occassion you decided to manage your dispute in a wholly unacceptable and uncivilised way, for which there can be no excuse.
"What you lose today is your good character, because anybody now will know that you are a man who has a conviction for assault and theft."
He sentenced Islam to an 18 month community order, 20 days of rehabilitation, and 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also subject to a restraining order forbidding him from contacting his sister and brother-in-law.
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