A 'VIOLENT' man has avoided jail despite leaving his victim with a broken jaw and facial injuries.

John Paul Wiles unleashed the brutal assault on the man outside the Peckish store on Lanehouse Road, Thornaby on April 11.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Wiles and another, unidentified man confronted the victim outside the shop before the violence erupted.

Harry Hadfield, prosecuting, said the two men pulled up outside the shop in a black Volkswagen Golf when a man he knew got out and started 'goading' him and asked the victim to move away from a CCTV camera while calling him 'a grass'.

When the victim went into the shop to pick up his food the defendant followed him and punched him three or four times before falling to the floor where Wiles was recorded kicked the man while he was on the floor.

He added that the injured man was taken to hospital for treatment to his jaw and large gash on his face.

"That injury can be construed as serious," he said. "It's a broken jaw with wounds to the face. It could be, although it is brief in time, a sustained assault with three or four punches."

Mr Hadfield told the court how Wiles was heavily convicted, including on one occasion when the defendant set his Staffordshire Bull Terrier on a police officer which bit 'down to the bone' on his hand.

Wiles, of Staithes Court, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to causing in grievous bodily harm.

In mitigation, Anthony Davis said his client has expressed 'much regret' about the 'opaque' incident which nobody can get to the bottom of the reason behind the attack.

"This is an event over which he expresses much regret and demonstrates without equivocation that he lacked in thinking skills, which is doubly disappointing," he said.

"This is one time he can say to the court that he has lost control, for whatever reason, in a very brief way."

Mr Davis said his client has 'unequivocally not relished' the time he has spent in custody on remand and has used that time to become a trusted inmate.

The barrister urged the judge to consider suspending his sentence to avoid the possibility of his client meeting up with his victim, who he says is currently in custody himself.

Judge Paul Watson QC said: "This was an attack that took place for no good reason, you not only punched him several times but when he was on the floor he was kicked.

"He suffered a fracture to his nose and cheekbone, as well as the nasty three-four centimetre cut. Although there is no evidence to long-term damage, I have seen the photographs and read the medical evidence, it is clear this was a very bad attack."

Wiles was sentenced to 21 months in custody, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.