A best man who nearly killed his friend of 20 years after a fight outside a pub has been sentenced.

Stephen Edmonds, 53, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm at Croydon magistrates court on February 22.

Edmonds, a caretaker at Overton Grange School, was sentenced to six months in prison but suspended for 12 months for the attack outside the Gander Inn, Sutton, in November last year.

In an interview after the court case, the 53 year old, who was his victim Ian Gillespie's best man at his wedding five years ago, said he had fallen out with his former best friend over "a third party".

Edmonds said: "I can't even remember what we fell out about now. He's a lovely bloke and we will probably be friends again in a few months."

After the fall out last year, the first time the two saw each other was at the Gander Inn on November 26.

Mr Gillespie, 50, from Cheam, had gone outside the pub for a cigarette and was followed by Edmonds.

Mr Gillespie had been watching horse racing all day and was "very drunk" according to his attacker.

Edmonds, of Winchcombe Road, Carshalton, said in the interview: "It was a stupid altercation, I asked him why we had fallen out and we began to row."

As they started to talk to each other, Edmonds shoved the other man and hit him around the head. The victim then fell awkwardly hitting his head hard on the ground.

Mr Gillespie suffered from a fractured skull and a small subdural haematoma.

Shortly after the attack, the police anticipated launching a murder enquiry, but Mr Gillespie recovered from his injuries.

Police investigations were hampered when blood from the scene was washed away by staff at the pub.

As well as the suspended prison sentence, Edmonds was ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work in the community and to pay £1,000 compensation to Mr Gillespie