A 29-YEAR-OLD man decided to go ‘crowd surfing’ on a group of strangers who were standing outside a Blackburn town centre pub.

Blackburn magistrates heard one of the crowd was knocked to the floor and banged his head in the fall after being taken completely unawares.

And Michael Anthony Moorcroft later told police he ‘thought it would be a laugh’.

Moorcroft, 29, of Bower Street, was remanded on bail by Blackburn magistrates after pleading guilty to assaulting Lewis Donnelly.

Ordering a pre-sentence report, District Judge Peter Ward said Moorcroft was a ‘thorough nuisance’.

“People should be able to stand outside a pub at night without worrying about someone like you coming and diving on them,” he said.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Mr Donnelly, a student, and a number of friends were standing outside the Live Lounge in a cordoned off area.

All of a sudden he was jumped on by the defendant who launched himself from the other side of the barrier,” said Miss Allan.

“There had been no contact with the defendant in fact the first time he saw him was when he landed on him.”

Michael Blacklidge, defending, said Moorcroft was walking past the Live Lounge and thought it would be ‘a bit of fun’ to crowd surf.

“Unfortunately it was Mr Donnelly who bore the brunt of his body weight,” said Mr Blacklidge.

“It was the height of stupidity but it was no more sinister than that.”