A MAN who was beaten up for creating a false Facebook account in his attacker’s name “to some extent brought it on himself”, a judge said.

Mark Pratt broke Philip Rees’s jaw after learning his identity had been assumed on the social-networking website.

Prosecutor Alistair Grainger told Oxford Crown Court on Monday: “Mr Rees thought it would be rather amusing to set up a Facebook profile in the name of Mr Pratt.

“He started sending messages to mutual friends as if from Mr Pratt and at the time everything was received with a great deal of mirth and merriment.

“Mr Pratt appeared to be unaware.” However, Mr Grainger said “it soon become rather less savoury” and, according to Pratt’s police interview, the messages began to include racist comments.

Pratt, 29, reported the matter to the police but officers said it was a civil matter and they could do nothing about it, the court was told.

On May 22, Pratt drank vodka and “half a bottle of Jack Daniel’s ” and went with friend Adam Jones to 28-year-old Mr Rees’s house.

Mr Grainger said: “There seemed to be some sort of agreement reached whereby Mr Rees and Mr Pratt would go into a nearby field and Mr Pratt would be allowed to have one shot at him with no retaliation and that would be the end of the matter.”

But, before the pair got there, Pratt attacked Mr Rees in an alleyway, punching him three or four times and kicking him to the chest.

The court heard Mr Rees remembers nothing of the attack and woke up in hospital.

John Simmons, defending, said the Facebook messages caused his client huge problems with an Asian friend and his family, whom he had earlier fallen out with.

He said: “All sorts of consequences have flowed from this.

“With this person effectively taking over his identity, destroying any chance for reconciliation.”

Speaking of the attack, he said: “He is beside himself with the damage he actually did.”

Pratt, of Church Street, Didcot, earlier admitted causing grievous bodily harm and possession of cannabis, a class-B drug.

Judge Christopher Compston said he was “disappointed in the police” for not taking action over the fake Facebook account.

He gave Pratt a 12-month jail term, suspended for two years, and ordered him to do a year’s supervision and pay £500 compensation.

He said: “To some extent, he (Mr Rees) brought this on himself.”