A motorist who walked to a petrol station after running out of fuel in Wolverhampton was attacked by a Slovakian drunk as he returned to his car.

The man and two others were abusive to Sean Fieldhouse as he walked passed them on the way to the garage and so he deliberately tried to avoid the trio on the way back, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday.

But jobless 26-year-old Peter Ruzinkovic leapt over railings to confront the stranded motorist in Stafford Road, Bushbury, at 12.30am on October 10. Prosecutor Mr Hugh

O’Brien-Quinn said yesterday: “He shouted ‘money’ and punched Mr Fieldhouse in the face, dazing the man who ran off pursued by Ruzinkovic.

“Mr Fieldhouse headed for Strykers bowling alley where there were a number of other people, and this stopped the defendant from continuing the chase.

“He and the other two men had been abusive when Mr Fieldhouse earlier passed them on foot after running out of petrol on the Stafford Road, but he could not understand what was being said. “That was why he tried to avoid them by cutting across the road after buying the fuel.”

Mr Fieldhouse rang the police from Strykers and Ruzinkovic was still in the area when officers arrived to arrest him soon afterwards, the court heard.

Mr Nicholas Berry, defending, said: “This was a nasty and distasteful offence — the type of conduct that the public loath.

“He said he had not come to this country to harm people. He was drunk.”

Ruzinkovic, from Elms Lane, Bushbury, who was of previous good character, admitted attempted robbery and was given an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with 200 hours of unpaid work and a six-month tagged night time curfew.

He was also ordered to pay the victim £250 compensation.

Judge John Warner told him: “You have come as close as is possible to jail without going straight into custody.

“Just make sure that you behave yourself in future because you will not be given another chance.”