CCTV has captured the moment a man shoved an 80-year-old stranger to the ground outside a public library in Salisbury, Wiltshire, after complaining that the venue was too noisy for him to read. Michael Johnson, 37, shouted at the pensioner before pushing him with both hands, causing him to fall and hit his head on the concrete. Police said the victim had no prior interaction with Johnson and had not even looked in his direction before being attacked, describing it as a "senseless" assault on a vulnerable elderly man.

The pensioner suffered a deep cut to his forehead and pain in his hips and arms, with his wife and passers-by rushing to help while Johnson fled and continued shouting from the library entrance. Members of the public chased him off and gave first aid until emergency services arrived, and local businesses' CCTV footage helped police track him down as he tried to leave the city. Johnson, who is of no fixed address, initially refused to comment in interview before admitting the assault, which he blamed on his mental health. He has since pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Swindon Magistrates' Court and is due to be sentenced on 21 October.