A MAN knocked unconscious after being punched in the face at a bus stop got up and shook his attacker’s hand, a court heard.

Kenneth Galloway struck Aaron Lawson after comments had been made about a woman on social media.

Galloway, of Pinkie Terrace, Musselburgh, hit the man, resulting in Mr Lawson having to have a metal plate fitted to his face during surgery.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard that Galloway had lashed out at Mr Lawson outside a store on the town’s Pinkie Road last year.

Fiscal depute Peter Motion told the court that Mr Lawson and a friend had been in Edinburgh on a day out and had bumped into Galloway at a bus stop outside the Musselburgh convenience store.

Mr Motion said: “[Galloway] said he was waiting on a woman getting off the bus. The woman alighted the bus and approached Mr Lawson.

“The accused was then seen to take a step back and launch himself at the complainer, punching him to the left side of his face with his right hand.”

Mr Motion added that Mr Lawson fell to the floor “unconscious for a few seconds” but came round and the two men eventually were seen shaking hands and walking away in opposite directions.

The fiscal said that Mr Lawson later noticed he was seriously injured following the confrontation and attended hospital to find out he had fractured his jaw.

Mr Lawson then had surgery at St John’s Hospital, where he had a metal plate fitted to help his injury heal properly.

Ms Cunningham, defending, said her 20-year-old client had become involved in the row after comments had been made about the woman on social media.

Ms Cunningham said that Galloway “did not mean to cause that level of injury” to Mr Lawson and was “extremely ashamed” at appearing in court.

The brief added that this was Galloway’s first court conviction and Galloway had apologised to his victim after the pair had met each other in the street following the fight.

Sheriff John Cook deferred sentence to July 19 for the preparation of background reports. Galloway pleaded guilty to assaulting Aaron Lawson by punching him to the head whereby he fell to the ground at Pinkie Road, Musselburgh, on March 8 last year.