THE boy whose punch left York man Chris Gregory "dead" outside his home is facing up to two years behind bars.

After magistrates warned the youth he could be locked up, Mr Gregory, 57, revealed he may need heart surgery following the attack, the culmination of a day of crime by the 15-year-old, and others, in Poppleton village and Acomb.

Prosecutor Angela Smith told York Youth Court that Mr Gregory was trying to prevent the boy stealing a bicycle from his neighbour's garage in Beckfield Lane, Acomb, when youths surrounded him, and the boy punched him once in the face.

Mr Gregory fell to the floor and his heart stopped. It was only because Dr Andrew Field was passing at that moment and performed emergency first aid, that Mr Gregory survived.

The doctor later told police: "I am of the opinion that he would have been beyond resuscitation within two or three minutes."

The 15-year-old Acomb boy pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Gregory; assault and damaging 18 light bulbs belonging to St Everilda's Church on The Green, Upper Poppleton; smashing a window at St Everilda's church, Nether Poppleton; stealing a bicycle in Main Street, Nether Poppleton; attempted burglary of a shed in Main Street, Nether Poppleton; and stealing a bicycle from the garage of Mr Gregory's neighbour in Beckfield Lane - all on December 29 last year. He had no previous convictions.

Senior magistrate Richard Goodacre told the boy that quite apart from the GBH offence, he faced other serious charges. "One of the sentencing options is custody," he said.

Sentence was adjourned until May 4 for youth offending officers to provide a pre-sentence report. The boy was told to bring both his parents, as they may make a parenting order on them.

For the boy, Sandra Keen said there was no evidence whether it was the punch or an unknown medical condition that caused Mr Gregory's heart to stop. The boy had always admitted punching Mr Gregory once.

After the hearing, Mr Gregory told the Evening Press he thought the sentencing options available to magistrates were inadequate considering the gravity of the assault.

He has no memory of the assault, and has not been back to work since the attack. Doctors believe he may have to undergo heart surgery.

He disputed suggestions by the boy's solicitor that an unknown medical condition could have caused his heart to stop.

"I had no prior problems. This could have been something that might have been waiting to happen but that would have been ten or 15 years down the line," he said.

"His attack caused my heart to stop and God was obviously smiling on me as a doctor was walking past."

Updated: 10:44 Wednesday, April 07, 2004