A MAN who thrust a ball-bearing gun into another man’s face to break up an argument walked free from court because a judge said his victim “thoroughly deserved” to be frightened.

Notorious East Oxford man Leslie Belcher, who was given a two-year antisocial behaviour order only last October, admitted possessing an imitation fire-arm with intent to cause fear or violence.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Controverisal judge Julian Hall, 71, who retired as the Recorder of Oxford last September, returned to the city’s crown court on Friday to hear the case.

He gave Belcher an absolute discharge and made his decision before hearing mitigation from Belcher’s barrister. He made an order that the gun should be destroyed.

Clare Tucker, prosecuting, said: “The complainant, Dervin Lawrence, was in Magdalen Road at 6am on June 12 last year with three young girls. He was involved in a sort of argument with them.

“Apparently they had been in his flat or house and the girls were rather drunk.

“Apparently, Mr Law-rence was seen to push one of the girls and a witness said ‘leave her alone, she’s only 15’.

“Belcher walked quickly down the road with a black handgun tucked in the waistband of his trousers.

“He took it out and pointed it at Mr Lawrence, straight towards his face, and said, ‘if you want to pick on someone, pick on me’.”

Mr Lawrence, who “went to grab a brick” before police officers quickly arrived on scene, told them: “He pointed a gun at my head. I thought he was going to shoot me.”

Belcher, of Magdalen Road, told police he had the unloaded gun, as he would go to the river each morning and shoot cans.

He said he saw Mr Lawrence grab a girl by the hair and said “if it was ****ing loaded I would [have fired it]”.

Judge Hall noted Belcher’s Asbo and previous convictions, including threatening and disorderly behaviour and that he had been jailed for breaching a suspended sentence order.

Belcher’s Asbo bans him from drinking in public, congregating with anyone other than his family in Magdalen Road or the front garden of 44 Magdalen Road, and using intimidating language or behaviour.

When the order was granted, Saj Malik, Oxford City Council’s executive member for safer communities, said: “Leslie Belcher had a severely detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in his community with his irresponsible, often childish, intimidating behaviour.”

But Judge Hall said: “If he had raised his fists at the man, that would have been the end of it. It sounds as if the young man thoroughly deserved to be frightened.

“This was an incident justifiably brought to an end but in a way it should not have been brought to an end.”

He added: “It’s important to be a bit cooler in looking at guns than is sometimes the case.

“He couldn’t have been hurt and the young man deserved to be punished.”