Convicted killer Kellan Lewis battered a senior with a metal bar just six weeks before he stabbed teenager Kellon Hill to death.

Lewis assaulted Eugene Johnston Sr. after the victim tried to intervene in a fight. He pleaded guilty to assault yesterday when he appeared at Magistrates' Court.

Prosecutor Maria Sofianos explained that Mr. Johnston Sr., now 66, was enjoying a family barbecue at his hilltop home in Woodlawn Road, Sandys, on the evening in question.

He and his son Eugene Johnston Jr, who is a lawyer, saw three young men and two young ladies apparently "skylarking" around nearby.

They then noticed one of the young men kicking out at one of the young ladies, and Mr. Johnston Sr. yelled at him to stop.

Mr. Johnston Jr. proceeded towards them to intervene, and the male youths made off. One of the young women said one of the boys had been trying to "jump" them.

Around 20 minutes later, the Johnstons saw the three young men on Fairhaven Lane, just west of the Maximart. The young women were at a nearby bus shelter, and the young men began to harass them once again.

Ms Sofianos explained that the Johnstons walked towards the group. One of the male youths was Lewis, who was 16 at the time, and another was a friend of his who was 15, and cannot be identified for legal reasons.

The 15-year-old became verbally abusive when the father and son intervened, and said he did not want to talk with anyone. Lewis said: "I'll go to the bus stop and beat the girls in front of you."

Lewis then went to an area behind the bus stop and came back with a metal reinforcement rod, which he used to strike Mr. Johnston Sr. on the back of the head. Mr. Johnston Sr. fell to the ground, bleeding from lacerations to his face and head. Meanwhile his son chased after Lewis and the 15-year-old, but both escaped.

The third young male was not involved in the attack.

Mr. Johnston Sr. needed butterfly stitches to a cut to his face, and later picked Lewis out of an ID parade.

Ms Sofianos said Lewis, who is now 18, had no previous convictions at the time of the attack.

However, she acknowledged that Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo would have to engage in "mental gymnastics" in order not to focus on what he has been convicted of since.

Lewis was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in May, after being convicted earlier this year of manslaughter for stabbing Mr. Hill to death. Lewis was the leader of a group of youths who attacked the 18-year-old victim he left a party at Elbow Beach on August 9, 2008.

The maximum sentence he could have been handed for assaulting Mr. Johnston Sr. was two years imprisonment.

Ms Sofianos told Mr. Tokunbo yesterday: "Usually the Crown would be asking for a custodial sentence by way of a short sharp shock. What we have heard about here is two gentlemen who were virtual Good Samaritans coming to the aid of two young females who were in peril on that date."

However, Lewis spent a year on remand in prison in relation to the attack, and Ms Sofianos said the Crown did not object to him being sentenced to "time served."

Defence lawyer Craig Attridge agreed that was appropriate. However, he said Lewis does not accept the version of events set out by the prosecutor, and claims he was only trying to intervene in a fight between his 15-year-old friend and one of the girls.

Lewis admits assaulting Mr. Johnston Sr., but claims the weapon was a piece of wire, not a metal bar.

Lewis's 15-year-old accomplice was dealt with at Youth Court, where he pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to two years corrective training with one year of probation.

Mr. Johnston Sr. and his son attended yesterday's court hearing, but declined to comment afterwards.