A MAN who punched his victim at a busy roadside was getting payback for a racial attack, a court heard.

Ashley Maparura admitted attacking Alan Jones in Drayton Road near Abingdon, but said he was provoked minutes before when Mr Jones 'made a racist comment' and 'struck him' as he sat in traffic.

Maparura 28, carried out the assault at about 6.30pm on Monday, June 30.

At his trial at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, his defence barrister Jonathan Coode said: "The complainant made a racist comment through the open window of the car, calling him a 'black c***', and struck him to the chin."

He said Maparura 'couldn't do anything about it' while stuck in the busy stream of traffic, but then pulled into a side road.

Revealing that the next events were caught on CCTV, Mr Coode added: "He gets out of the car, walks over to the complainant and punches him once to the lip. He [Mr Jones] goes down but gets back up again and within seconds, they both walk away.

"It's a blow in each direction, but we can't run self-defence - he pulled into a side road and parked, and had time to cool off."

Maparura, of Queensway in Didcot, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Mr Jones, who had four stitches as a result of his injury.

Defending, Mr Coode said Mr Jones told ''significant lies' in his initial police interview.

He said Maparura was initially charged with grievous bodily harm because Mr Jones claimed he had struck him with a hammer, twice.

But the CCTV revealed no weapon was used and there was just one single punch, and prosecution agreed it seemed the victim had not been wholly truthful.

Maparura appeared via video from HMP Woodhill, where he is five weeks away from the end of a 16-week sentence for shoplifting and cannabis possession.

The court heard he had a history of convictions for 39 offences dating back to 2008, including robberies, blackmail and possession of a knife in public.

Sentencing, Judge Nigel Daly said: "It must be extremely unpleasant to be provoked in that way.

"[But] you have been violent in the past and immediately resorted to violence."

He handed Maparura a four-week prison sentence but, as it was ordered to start immediately, he will not have to serve any longer than the five weeks he has left for his last conviction.

He will also have to pay a victim surcharge.