A teenager who had earlier refused to share his cigarettes was left semi-conscious after being repeatedly punched and kicked by Jordan Renwick.
Twenty-year-old Renwick, of Orchard Park, Kelso, was jailed for 25 months for the attack.
He appeared on indictment and pleaded guilty to assaulting a 19-year-old to his severe injury at Orchard Park on April 13 last year.
Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser told Jedburgh Sheriff Court last Friday that Renwick had been at a flat with friends.
“At about 9pm he demanded from the 19-year-old that he share some cigarettes with him,” explained Mr Fraser.
The teenager was reluctant and the accused became threatening towards him, telling him: “You’d better get some cigarettes or I’ll kick your head in.”
An hour later, Renwick was still aggravated by the fact he didn’t get the tobacco, asking where the teenager was as he was “going to rip his head off”.
The victim was heading home at about 10.10pm when the accused came running up behind him.
Mr Fraser explained: “He tried to hide behind a parked car, but the accused launched an attack on him, punching him repeatedly to the head and body. He pushed him against a fence and then on to the ground, and then kicked him several times to the head.”
He said the assault lasted for about five minutes.
As one of the teenager’s friends ran to call the police, Renwick “jogged off through a nearby park”, leaving the teenager “drifting in and out of consciousness, with blood coming out of his ear and his face covered in blood”, added the prosecutor.
The victim was rushed to Borders General Hospital by ambulance where he received two stitches to a cut to his head, while a scan of his skull showed a fracture of the bone behind his left ear.
“Things could have been so much worse,” added Mr Fraser.
The accused was traced and gave a “no-comment” interview.
Rory Bannerman, defending, said his client had no recollection of his actions, but added: “He has accepted responsibility and shown remorse.”
Sheriff Derrick McIntyre told Renwick, who appeared from custody: “You could have killed this young man and found yourself facing a life sentence. You have a long record and this was a serious offence.”
The sheriff said Renwick would serve the 25-month term on completion of his current jail sentence, and he also imposed a 12-month supervised release order.