THUG Alexander Francis has been jailed for nine months for beating up a man and kicking his dog in a drunken attack.

Francis, 32, of Spearing Road, High Wycombe, appeared before Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, theft and failing to surrender to bail.

Amanda Drane, prosecuting, said the assault took place on February 13 as Robert Sheedy, 42, took his dog for a walk. She said Mr Sheedy walked past two men, one of them Francis, in Oakridge Road, High Wycombe, when Francis said something, which Mr Sheedy ignored.

Miss Drane said Francis then kicked the dog in the ribs and when Mr Sheedy turned round, he was knocked to the ground and kicked in the head.

Miss Drane said the kicking continued as Mr Sheedy tried to get to his feet.

He was later treated in hospital for a black eye, bruises, grazes and a split in front of his ear.

In an earlier incident, Francis had been arrested outside Woolworths, High Wycombe, on January 22, after an attempt to steal blank video tapes and a suitcase worth £234.94 was foiled when he was caught on the store's security cameras.

Miss Drane said Francis failed to appear at High Wycombe Magistrates Court on March 31. He was also in breach of a conditional discharge imposed for 12 months in February 1996.

Sarah Rudman, defending, said Francis had a history of alcohol abuse which was linked to his offending and could remember very little about the assault.

She said he was thankful the injuries were not more serious.

Deputy Circuit Judge Keith Devlin called the attack "nasty and vicious" and said: "It was as a result of your drunken behaviour."

Francis also received a concurrent sentence of one month for theft, 14 days for the bail offence and one month for the breach of the conditional discharge.

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