AN Iron Man lookalike mistakenly punched his masked friend in the face to avenge a wrongdoing.

Ryan Newman was out with friends in fancy dress when an argument broke out, Furness Magistrates’ Court heard.

The 25-year-old said he was trying to stop his friend getting into trouble but has ended up being banned from the streets between 5pm and 5am.

The hearing was told by prosecutor Mr Lee Dacre how police were called to an incident in Cavendish Street, Barrow, in the early hours of November 1.

He said: “Police attended an incident of disorder and saw the defendant involved in an argument. He was in fancy dress as Ironman.

“He was seen to draw his finger across his throat and say ‘you are dead’ to another male.

“As police were talking to him a man, wearing a mask, came over and was filming the defendant on his mobile phone and he punched him in the face.

“He told police he had punched him because him approaching with the phone and wearing a mask had made him anxious.”

The court heard that Newman had in fact punched his friend assuming it was the masked man he had an altercation with earlier.

Defending himself, Newman said: “I only became in the argument as I was trying to stop my friend getting into trouble.

“A man punched me and I fell to the ground and that’s why I did the death thing. I wasn’t going to really kill him.

“I was angry and I punched the person in the mask thinking it was the same one that had attacked me but it was my mate.

“I was also angry that the man that punched me was just getting away with it and the police just grabbed me.

“I hadn’t been out drinking for a long, long time before that night.”

Newman, of Parry Street, Barrow, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour that would lead to people believing that violence would be used.

He was placed under a curfew for the next six weeks and ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.