Man suffered broken jaw after being punched in face in Scunthorpe while trying to protect girlfriend

A MAN suffered a broken jaw after he was punched in the face while trying to protect his girlfriend from taunts in the street, a court heard.

Thomas Larsen-Hill, 20, of Burnham Road, Scunthorpe, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on Thomas Squire on February 12.

Nick Adlington, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that Mr Squire, 21, was on Doncaster Road, Scunthorpe, with his girlfriend and other friends in the early hours.

His girlfriend was being bothered, shouted at and insulted by two 16-year-old girls and a youth, he said.

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Mr Squire intervened and told the youth not to speak to his girlfriend like that but the next thing he knew, Larsen-Hill punched him in the side of the face without any warning. He did not even see the blow before it landed, Mr Adlington said.

Mr Squire's jaw was fractured in two places and he needed an operation to put two metal plates in it and metal clips to stabilise it.

Gordon Stables, mitigating, said Larsen-Hill punched the victim only once but it had "completely disproportionate consequences to the violence inflicted".

Larsen-Hill was given a nine-month suspended custodial sentence, 100 hours' unpaid work, a 26-week 7pm to 5am curfew on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and was ordered to pay £500 compensation.