A psychiatrist will be asked to prepare a report on a man who kicked his victim an estimated 13 times after a dispute in the Casbah nightclub.

Malin Samir had been due to be sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Friday after earlier admitting wounding with intent.

But Judge Peter Crabtree put the hearing back until February and ordered a psychiatric report and updated pre-sentence report.

It followed an application from the 31-year-old’s barrister, Chris Smyth, who hinted at traumatic events in the Somali national’s past that had only recently come to light and that could have had affected his state of mind at the time of the brutal assault in January.

Bailing Samir, of Blandford Court, Park North, to return to the crown court on February 22, 2021, Judge Crabtree told the man’s lawyer: “I have read the pre-sentence report. It is undoubtedly the case Mr Samir is of good character.

“The behaviour that night was out of character, certainly, but the probation officer seems to have failed to grasp that anyone who’s been drinking all day may be so intoxicated that that provides an explanation. As we all know, drunk intention is still intention.

“I do accept that if there are issues in Mr Samir’s background that I should know about when I assess the precise level of culpability or put into the balance the scales of mitigation then a psychiatric report will help.”

Samir was warned that the sentence would inevitably be a prison term of some length. Wounding with intent carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

In October, the crown court heard Samir had been in the Casbah nightclub in Swindon town centre on January 19, 2020.

He approached his victim in the nightclub and punched him once, resulting in him being thrown out by door staff.

When the victim left the Casbah later that evening, bouncers warned him Samir was still in the area. They squared up, at first exchanging words then blows. The victim fell the ground and he was unconscious as Samir rained down an estimated 13 kicks to his head and chest.

Judge Crabtree said at the earlier hearing: “One witness refers to 16 such acts [stamps] at a stage when the complainant was lying unconscious. The prosecution says at least 13 and that is evident from the footage I have seen.”

He added: “The ferocious nature of that attack is reflected by one of the witnesses who repeatedly told Mr Samir to stop or he would kill him. The footage also shows the defendant, Mr Samir, going through the complainant’s clothing and then, it is said, smearing blood across [the complainant’s] face.” That final act was labelled “gratuitous degradation” by the judge.

The victim was taken to hospital, where he was found to have broken bones in his face. He had significant swelling and doctors estimated it would take him around a month and a half to two months to recover.