A man who was assaulted while enjoying a dance at an Old Colwyn pub needed 20 stitches to his face, a court was told.

After hearing of the physical and psychological impact on victim Paulo Pereira District Judge Gwyn Jones, sitting at Llandudno magistrates’ court, ordered his assailant, David Graham Owen, to pay him £1,500 in compensation.

Self-employed builder Owen, 47, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm following the incident at the Plough Hotel on July 14 last year.

He was given a 26-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, must carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and also observe an 8pm – 6am curfew for 14 weeks.

The District Judge also banned him from entering the Plough Hotel for 12 months.

Prosecutor James Neary said that Mr Pereira had gone to the pub with his girlfriend but was dancing alone when he was suddenly punched twice to the face. He didn’t know who had done it or why.

He went to hospital by taxi and needed 20 stitches to the inside and outside of his lips. His teeth were also loosened.

In a victim impact statement Mr Pereira said he had suffered nightmares following the incident, which was completely unprovoked. He described it as a “cowardly attack”.

“Not knowing who it was has made us both very nervous,” he said.

Owen, of Wern Road, Llanddulas, was identified on the pub’s CCTV and when interviewed accepted that his behaviour had been “unreasonable”.

He said he and his girlfriend had been dancing and that Mr Pereira had bumped into them several times.

Passing sentence, the District Judge said an immediate custodial sentence was justified but Owen had co-operated with the police and there had been no further incidents.

“This was an unprovoked attack upon a member of the public enjoying himself and causing no offence to you,” he said.