A BOOZED-UP teenage attacker who put his victim in hospital for Christmas walked free from court today (Thursday, May 23).

Injured student Dean Akeel missed almost two months' of course work after suffering a double jaw fracture in the assault.

In a statement, he said he was unable to eat solid food and lost one-and-a-half stone in four days.

His attacker Michael Pattinson had shared a bottle of Jack Daniels before going out and drank vodka into the early hours of Christmas Eve.

Mr Akeel - the former boyfriend of a young woman Pattinson knows - had a number of cross words with his group during the evening.

Prosecutor Sue Jacobs said he tried to walk away from trouble, but Pattinson's barrister, Duncan McReddie, said his behaviour provoked the flare-up.

Mr McReddie described the victim as "something of an irritant" and said: "His version of events that he was the personification of sweetness and light . . . was not true."

Pattinson, 19, of Piperknowle Road, Stockton, admitted a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm at an earlier hearing.

Mr McReddie said: "It was a momentary loss of self-control which the defence concedes resulted in serious injury."

Unemployed Pattinson was given a ten-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, and was ordered to pay £200 compensation.

He was also told to do 150 hours of unpaid community work and will be on an electronic tag curfew from 7pm to 7am for eight weeks.

Judge Howard Crowson told him: "It is a great pity to see you in the crown court, at all. You are a young man of good character.

"I don't doubt that there was an escalation of I'll-feeling on both sides."

The court heard how trouble flared outside the Medicine Bar in Middlesbrough town centre after closing time.

Mrs Jacobs said Mr Akeel was going for a taxi with friends when Pattinson repeatedly tried to goad him into a fight.

With one punch, the teenager caused devastating injuries which surgeons repaired by inserting two metal plates in the victim's face.