Britain's Got Talent brawler spared prison

A man who attacked his neighbour after criticisms were made about a contestant on the TV show Britain's Got Talent has been given a suspended jail sentence. Michael Coyle, 38, of Romney Close, Little Neston, Cheshire, was drunk when he overheard two neighbours discussing the show, Warrington Crown Court heard.

He took offence over a misheard comment and challenged one of them to a fight. Coyle had earlier pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was ordered to pay £400 costs.

The neighbours had been talking about saxophonist Julian Smith after the show's final in May. One of them said that Smith's success was due to the "bored housewives' vote".



But Coyle, whose mother was being treated for cancer at the time, misheard and thought the neighbour had said "bald housewives' vote".

His barrister said: "His mother was suffering cancer at the time. He was drunk and misheard what had been said. He took it as a slight against his mother and what followed was a one-to-one fight."

Judge Woodward described Coyle as a hard working man who had the courage to plead guilty. He gave him an eight month jail sentence, suspended for two years and also ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.