A man who suddenly became very ill and attacked a stranger with a screwdriver has been spared immediate custody because of the unusual circumstances.

But Marcin Brey, 31, must pay his victim £7,500 in compensation.

A court heard Bray, formerly of Crispin Lane in Wrexham, had become very depressed and ill and intended to return to his home in Poland but since the attack he had recovered.

Judge David Hale previously adjourned sentence to see if compensation could be made available. He was told sufficient funds had been put into his solicitor’s account.

Speaking at Mold Crown Court, he told Brey that it was accepted by everybody in the case that when he assaulted the other man he was extremely ill.

“This is a highly unusual case,” said the judge. “You had a psychotic episode, almost out of the blue.

“You were depressed when working in Chirk. You gave up your job and decided to return to Poland.”

But within a fortnight he became extremely ill.

“The unusual feature of this case is that you are now better.” Judge Hale said.

“Although you were detained by the police and sent to a mental hospital and sectioned under the Mental Health Act, within four to six weeks you had recovered.”

His recovery was such that he had been returned to custody awaiting sentence.

“This is a very unusual and desperately unfortunate thing to have happened to anybody,” said Judge Hale.

The complainant was the victim of the defendant in that condition.

“You had no argument with him. You didn’t know him from Adam.

“He was just driving a car to a garage in Holmes Chapel when you attacked him with a screwdriver. His injuries could have been a lot worse.”

But the judge said they must have been extremely painful and a terrible shock to him.

“Normally you would have received a prison sentence for an offence of this nature but for the quite exceptional position of being so ill.”

Judge Hale said it was not as if he had not taken his pills or anything like that.

Bray was due to return to Poland and was now in a position to pay compensation.

Judge Hale said he would take an exceptional course of  suspending a two year prison sentence for two years with no conditions.

The £7,500 compensation and £140 surcharge would have to be paid within 28 days and the money was already in his solicitor’s account.

The court was told arrangements had been made for Bray to go with his brother to get his car and leave the UK within the next seven days.