A 50-year-old who launched a vicious drunken assault on a man in Queens Park has been jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Stephen Porter left his victim with a fractured skull, broken jaw and two fractured ribs during the booze-fuelled attack.

He punched Aidan McIntyre and then kicked him repeatedly as he was on the ground, leaving his trainers with blood on them.

But Porter, who has a history of violence, claimed he was acting in self defence and had only punched his victim during the incident.

Following a trial at Swindon Crown Court earlier this year a jury rejected his version of events and found him guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent.

And Porter, who still denies any wrongdoing, shouted from the dock 'So much for being honest,' as he was led away to start serving his sentence.

The defendant, who has 'considerable problems with drink', arrived late for the hearing and was having trouble staying awake, insisted he had been telling the truth.

He yelled: "All I have done is been honest and this is where it got me. I could have thrown my trainers away and walked home barefooted."

Porter, of Nythe Road, had been drinking when he launched the attack in the park on Sunday May 5 last year.

The court was told he had 43 previous convictions including a number of assaults and other public order offences.

Sarah Jones, prosecuting, said he was jailed for four years in 1993 for wounding with intent and in August 2012 was put on a community order for three counts of battery.

Paul Trotman, defending, said his client had many difficulties, especially with drink, and is 'in some ways is a very sad person'.

"It is the background of that that led to this offence, though he still denies it," he said.

He said the only serious violence on his record was from more than 20 years ago and asked the sentence to be kept at the lower end of the guidelines.

Earlier he told the court: "He hasn't been following my instructions well, he has been falling asleep in the dock. He wants the matter dealt with today. It's a concern I have."

Jailing him, Judge Douglas Field said: "You are a man who is now 50 and the jury convicted you of this very serious offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

"On the day in question I have no doubt that you were under the influence of drink. I have also not doubt that you punches and kicked your victim.

"The forensic evidence of the blood stains on your trainer showed that you kicked him and your unfortunate victim suffered injuries including a fractures skull, two fractured ribs and a fractured jaw.

"The injuries are still affecting him. He is still having difficulties with depression and his way of life has been curtailed.

"This assault happened in a public park, you were under the influence of drink. Apart from punching him you kicked him, you kicked him when he was on the ground."