A SHOPPER was attacked with a golf club when he tackled a gang of youths.

Colin Vallis’s elbow was cut to the bone causing a piece to chip off, after he stepped in to help when a disturbance broke out outside Steve’s General Store in Walton Village at 3pm on February 5, 2006.

A group of youths were smashing bottles and shouting abuse at the shop owner. But when Mr Vallis went to his aid the gang turned on him, hurling threats, before one member, James Wishart, formerly of Hursley Road, Fazakerley, attacked him with a club.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Mr Vallis tried to defend himself: the blow hit his elbow, cutting it to the bone and causing a fragment to break off. Zillah Williams, prosecuting, said he needed an operation to repair his damaged bone and tendons.

The court heard Wishart, 22, was on bail at the time for drug charges. He was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison in Scotland for Class A drug crimes and bail offences in June 2006 and was only returned to England last November to face trial on the charges.

But Judge John Phipps ruled Wishart, who is due to be released on July 30, should serve a further 20 months for the attack.

He said: “Your record is a bad one, with a great deal of anti-social behaviour.”

Wishart, who pleaded guilty to wounding on the day of his trial, insisted he had hit Mr Vallis inadvertently while trying to prevent the shopkeeper attacking his friend.